It's a double whammy

New Delhi: The Indian Premier League (IPL) was hit by another controversy when Australian player Luke Pomersbach of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) was arrested yesterday for allegedly molesting an American woman in a five-star hotel in the capital and beating up her fiance.

Delhi Police registered a case of molestation against Pomersbach, who was later released on bail by a city court.

The incident comes on a day the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) slapped a five-year ban on actor Shah Rukh Khan, co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), from entering Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium over his alleged misbehaviour at the ground on Wednesday night.

Pomersbach is alleged to have molested the woman at the ITC Maurya Hotel here. Her fiance Sahil Peerzada, who is in his 30s, was beaten up by the player when he tried to stop him, police said. Pomersbach has claimed innocence.

The woman, Zohail Hameed, told IANS that she was being pressed by the IPL team to take back the case and was threatened by some people to backtrack.

Owner reaction

Tweeting on the controversy, RCB director Sidhartha Mallya said: "if Luke is in the wrong, then trust me he will face the necessary sanctions. But what this girl is doing is idiotic."

In another tweet, he said: "The girl who is accusing Luke is saying he hit her ‘fiance'...what a load of f****** s***. She was all over me last night and asked for me bbm pin, so if he was her fiance she wasn't exactly behaving like a future wife."

The woman told a television channel that the incident happened when Pomersbach, along with some others, joined them for a drink. She also alleged that the hotel staff did not cooperate with her in calling the police.

Hameed told IANS that Luke had forcibly entered her room and tried to molest her. "He gave me a nasty look and it seemed that he will rape me. I got scared, and I ran out of the door. I went straight to the elevator and asked for the security cops who said ‘It's going to be fine'.

"My fiance was beaten profusely and there was blood all over the place, and I was running back and forth to help him," Hameed said. The whole IPL team came here in the morning and they have been telling me to drop the case. I need the Indian government to help me. I was under pressure and threatened by 5-6 men to backtrack from the case."

Behaviour of players

The IPL management said it was not responsible for the behaviour of individual players. Chairman Rajiv Shukla said: "We are not responsible for the behaviour of individuals in hotels... what somebody was doing in some hotel, we have nothing to do with it. IPL is not hosting any party...we have done way with such parties and there was no official party."

RCB owner Vijay Mallya said he regretted the incident. "RCB will give full cooperation to authorities for fair investigation and so that the case is disposed of in accordance with law. He [Pomersbach] won't be taking the field till the matter is sorted out."

After arresting him, police took Pomersbach to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital for a medical check-up and produced him in the Patiala House court.