Mumbai: Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan was on Wednesday detained by Mumbai Police for allegedly assaulting a Non-Resident Indian (NRI) businessman. He was later granted bail.
In pictures: Saif Ali Khan's arrest
The victim Iqbal Sharma, a South African of Indian origin, had filed a complaint at the Colaba police station in south Mumbai, accusing the actor of punching him and his father-in-law.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Iqbal Shaikh told Gulf News that Khan was having dinner at the Taj hotel in Colaba with his girlfriend and fellow actor Kareena Kapoor and a group of friends when the incident occurred.
“The complainant’s family sitting near Khan’s table took objection to the loud noise and talking and this led to an argument and scuffle between them. Khan allegedly punched the complainant in the nose and fractured it,” said the police officer.
Meanwhile, Sharma, while talking to a TV news channel about the incident, said: Khan and his group “were loud and rowdy. They were upset because we asked the management to tell them to tone down their voices a bit.” Because of the noise, the family even moved downstairs, he said. Even there, while passing by their table after returning from the wash room, “Khan told me, ‘You don’t know who I am. If you want peace, you should go to a library.”
In the argument that followed, Sharma said Khan verbally abused him and then “assaulted me. He punched my father-in-law hurting his left arm. There were three others with him.”
The girls with the Khan group were screaming, he added.
The actor was earlier booked in 2008 for assaulting a photojournalist in Patiala, Punjab, during the shooting of a film and had to later apologise. The case was resolved amicably.
Khan’s home production Agent Vinod, starring Khan and Kareena, is all set for release this March.
