Shah Rukh's Wankhede brawl: Mumbai cricket body meets to discuss ban

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) will meet today to discuss its next steps in its very public fight with superstar Shah Rukh Khan; on Wednesday night the actor was caught in a scuffle with MCA officials at Mumbai Wankhade stadium after a match between his IPL team the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Mumbai Indians.  

The cricket association has so far stood its ground on its charges of voluntarily causing hurt and criminal intimidation against the actor. Yesterday the MCA filed a police complaint against Shah Rukh and said it was banning him from entering the Wankhade stadium, which it administers. The MCA has alleged that the actor had arrived drunk at the stadium after the match and abused and manhandled staff there.  (Also Read: Full text of the Shah Rukh-MCA scuffle at Wankhede)

Shah Rukh Khan admits he used abusive language, but says he was provoked by stadium authorities "manhandling" his children and their friends who had gone to see the  match. Shah Rukh also vehemently denied that he was drunk or that he had pushed anyone or abused a woman, as the MCA claimed. "I was being bullied. I was angry, but I was not drunk," he said. (Also see: Audio clip of the SRK brawl at Wankhede)

The actor said his  children were "physically manhandled in the name of security," and has said he plans to file a written complaint against the MCA. Shah Rukh Khan said he had not attended Wednesday's match at the stadium, which his IPL team, the Kolkata Knight Riders, won against the Mumbai Indians. He recounted that he only went to the stadium to pick up his children and saw that stadium officials "were pushing, touching little girls, and that is unpardonable."

Nitin Dalal, joint secretary of the MCA has  accused Shah Rukh of using his kids to gain sympathy and said the MCA officials had every right to stop them from going on to the field of play. The association administers the Wankhade stadium and has so far been adamant that it will not allow the actor to enter the stadium for any match.

Shah Rukh is dismissive about the MCA's ban saying it does not make a differnce to him.  "I would not like to go to a stadium where people behave so highhandedly. I took little children for the match and 40 grown-up people came charging aggressively at me," he said. "I think my behavior is absolutely correct. I would still do the same thing if they misbehaved with my kids or kids that I am taking care of," the actor said. He says he only drinks socially and was not drunk.

IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla is now expected to broker peace. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was officially informed about the incident only this evening. Earlier in the day, Mr Shukla said reports of the ban on Shah Rukh were incorrect. He said a decision had yet to be taken, and that the version of "the franchisee" would also be considered. There are no other matches scheduled for KKR at the Wankhede Stadium for the rest of the tournament.

The actor has been caught in controversy before when he was seen smoking on April 8 at the Sawai Man Singh in Jaipur much to the disapproval of many. This is also the second brawl that the actor has allegedly been involved in in recent times. Some months ago he was reported to have got into a scuffle with Shirish Kunder, the husband of director Farah Khan at a private party hosted by Sanjay Dutt in Mumbai.