Shah Rukh accuses security guards of manhandling children

Mumbai: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan attacked officials and security guards from the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) at the Wankhede Stadium for manhandling children who had gone to watch an Indian Premier League match on Wednesday night.

The Kolkata Knight Riders owner — watching his team take on Mumbai Indians — sparked an ugly confrontation on the pitch after the game, with the MCA accusing him of using abusive language and threatening behaviour.

Hours after the officials of MCA, the governing body for cricket in Mumbai and Thane, and a permanent member of the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI), filed a police complaint, Khan admitted abusing the officials but said he did it "because they were extremely aggressive and I was disturbed that they manhandled children in the name of security. This is unpardonable".

Not allowed

Speaking at his Mannat residence in suburban Bandra yesterday afternoon, Khan said he had gone to the stadium to pick up his own children and 30 others who were to return home on a bus. The children were not planning to enter the field of play as they knew it was not allowed, he said.

However, the MCA's version is that he tried to force his way into the ground. Official Vinod Deshpande called Khan's behaviour "atrocious".

The MCA has since decided to ban him from the Wankhede. Khan responded: "If this is the treatment meted out to people, I don't want to go to the stadium."

Several MCA officials said Khan was drunk, "used foul language" and that there was a lot of pushing and shouting.

In its police complaint the MCA accused him of "drunken misbehaviour".

Assistant Police Commissioner Iqbal Shaikh said: "Shah Rukh was drunk. He was smelling of alcohol but he was not drinking at the Wankhede Stadium. But it is not an offence. He was also abusing and threatening MCA and BCCI officials."

Khan insisted he had not touched any alcohol.

He said that when he went into the stadium "there were around 20-25 MCA officials who were extremely aggressive and I was disturbed at the way they manhandled children and pushed them around. They have no right to touch little girls".

Nothing to clarify

He said one of the security guards spoke abusively to him in Marathi.

"I don't want to repeat what he or others said. I wish I could find that gentleman who spoke rudely," he said.

"I said that this was my country, my city. You can't evict me."

Khan said he had nothing to clarify and it was the MCA that should apologise to him for the "extreme high-handedness" of its officials.