I was being bullied, MCA should apologise: Shahrukh Khan

Mumbai - Kolkata Knight Riders owner and Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan today refused to take the blame for the altercation between him and Mumbai Cricket Association officials at the Wankehede Stadium on Wednesday night.

“They should not manhandle children in the name of security. They have no right to manhandle a 13-year-old girl. What will the kids do? We were not on the pitch we were on the side,” Khan told reporters in Mumbai.

KKR owner Shah Rukh Khan is pacified following a scuffle with a security person after the team's IPL match with Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday night. 

Asked if he would apologise, the KKR owner said, “They were extremely high-handed and aggressive in their behaviour. I was being bullied. I was not drunk. They should apologise.”

“I could write a written complaint on their behaviour. They used extremely foul language,” Khan said.

The Bollywood star, however, rubbished the threat that he would be banned from entering the stadium by the association.

“My life will not change by not allowing me to enter Wankhede cricket stadium. I don’t care about all this ban, I myself will not enter the cricket stadium. What they did is unpardonable,” he said.

Khan made it clear that he was at the stadium to pick his children and not watch the match.

The cinestar said, “I have no clarification to give. My only clarification is they should know how to behave.”

MCA bans SRK for 5 yrs, BCCI divided on the issue

Mumbai: The Mumbai Cricket Association today banned Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan from entering the Wankhede Stadium for five years for misbehaving with its officials and violating its rules.

The “unanimous” decision was taken at the MCA Managing Committee meeting called to discuss action on Khan who was involved in a skirmish with the security and officials of the association after KKR’s victory over Mumbai Indians on Wednesday night.

MCA president Vilasrao Deshmukh, who chaired the meeting, said that his association was sending out a message that misbehaviour of any kind would not be tolerated.

“If rules are violated, action will be taken. It does not depend who the individual is. It’s a message to everyone whosoever he or she may be that stern action will be taken if there is any misbehaviour,” he told a press conference adding that the actor’s behaviour was “disgusting and improper”.

Khan had, however, had denied he had misbehaved and acted only after children, including his kids, were “manhandled” by the security staff.

Deshmukh said Khan had violated rules. “Had the incident happened in the stands it would’ve been a different matter. But you can’t get on the field and do all this. How can he go inside the ground without proper accreditation. Even I can’t go inside the ground if not invited for presentation ceremony,” Deshmukh said.

“We have handed a five-year ban on him and it was a unanimous decision. It applies to any match whether domestic or international at the Wankhede,” he said.

Asked if BCCI can reverse this decision to ban Khan, Deshmukh said, “We have taken a decision to protect the dignity of our association. BCCI is our parent body and we have written to them informing what had happened. We have no control over BCCI’s decision. We are also an independent body with the Wankhede being our property.”

BCCI vice-president and IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla, however, said that a final decision will be taken by the BCCI.

“State bodies can only recommend but a final decision has to be taken by the BCCI. When the matter comes to BCCI, the Board will decide (on the ban),” he told reporters in New Delhi.

Interestingly, while Shukla said the BCCI will have the final say on the ban, fellow BCCI colleague and CAO Ratnakar Shetty said that the actor’s behaviour was unprecedented and that the association is higher than any individual.

This clearly spells out that the BCCI is itself divided on the issue.

Shetty added that the MCA had lodged an official complaint with the BCCI.

Contradicting Shah Rukh’s statement yesterday that it was the MCA officials who were to blame for the ugly incident, Shetty said: “Our officials showed tremendous restraint. In spite of being abused with the foulest language, they were very restrained. Otherwise it could’ve turned into a very ugly incident.”

Shetty also dismissed the actor’s claim that he was not drunk saying, “The ACP Colaba division said Shah Rukh was smelling of alcohol. I don’t think a civilian needs to speak on this any further.”