NRI Assult Case

Saif Ali Khan's counter complaint does not stand: Police sources

Mumbai:  Actor Saif Ali Khan’s counter complaint against Iqbal Sharma, the man who claims that the actor assaulted him and fractured his nose at a restaurant in Mumbai late on Tuesday night, does not stand, police sources have told Informatives.

In his complaint last night, Saif alleged that Mr Sharma`s father-in-law punched him first and that the duo abused the women who were accompanying him at the restaurant. The actor alleged that his eye was swollen after he was punched.  After studying the application, police sources say the actor`s injuries cannot be ascertained as he has not backed it up with a medical certificate. The police, sources add, have examined 15 people so far, which includes Mr Sharma‘s father-in-law and the waiters at the restaurant.

Yesterday, at around 7:50 pm, Saif was arrested by the police at his lawyer’s office based on the complaint filed by Mr Sharma. Girlfriend and co-star Kareena Kapoor accompanied him. Around 90 minutes later, he left the Colaba police station after having paid Rs. 15,000 and being granted bail.

Mr Sharma, a businessman from South Africa, says he was seated at the table next to Saif and his group at Wasabi, the uber-fancy restaurant at the Taj hotel in Colaba. The actor had other Bollywood friends with him –Kareena Kapoor, Kareena’s sister Karisma Kapoor, actor Amrita Arora and her husband, Shakeel Ladak, andBilal Amrohi, a producer.

In his version of events, Mr Sharma says he sent a note to Saif`s table, asking his group to talk a little softer. “They were making a lot of noise. And we asked the management to ask them to be quiet so that we could also enjoy our evening. This failed on about three occasions at least. Mr Sharma says his family and he decided to leave the restaurant..

Saif Ali Khan was the first to hit Iqbal: Eyewitness

Saif Ali Khan's NRI assault case gets a new and fresh angle, from where things looks clearer. According to reports of a leading news channel, one of the eyewitnesses of the incident revealed that it was actually Saif Ali Khan who provoked Iqbal Sharma. In fact, Saif was the one who punched Sharma first.

But the actor has a different story to say. Saif told that he was hit first and hence reacted in self defence. "I was hit first and verbally abused," Saif said, talking to reporters at his home. "I was hit first. And as shocking as it may seem, the elderly gentlemen hit me. I'm not sure what provoked him.” "I am looking forward to CCTV footage (inside the restaurant)," he said.

On Tuesday night, Saif and his friends who were dining in a restaurant at Taj, got into a brawl with an NRI who reportedly asked the actor to maintain silence. The Mumbai Police has recorded the statements of 15 people over this assault case.

Saif was provoked: Kareena Kapoor

I haven't spoken about what happened that night, but now I feel I should because whatever is being said is completely one-sided. This man (Iqbal Sharma) is publicity-hungry. How can a man with a broken nose and jaw speak continuously on TV for more than 10 hours?

Saif was provoked. He's a thorough gentleman and would never get into a brawl, especially with women around.

We were having dinner at Wasabi (a restaurant in Mumbai) when Iqbal stormed into our corner and started screaming at us. The only people present at that time were Sharma's group and ours. We were laughing and talking, but certainly not screaming! There was no reason for this man to come to our table and shout at Saif. Even so, Saif said sorry but he continued to rant.

Now he's saying he didn't know that there were actors present at the table. But his wife Tarina (who has acted in "Dhol" and "Bhool Bhulaiyya") and Malaika had greeted each other just a little while before! The funny thing is when Tarina saw her husband making a scene, instead of stopping him she got into the lift and ran away!

The fight happened when Iqbal was returning from the washroom and Saif was going down. Iqbal pushed Saif and the old man joined in. When Shakeel (Ladak) and Bilal (Amrohi) saw this, they came to his rescue. Saif is very respectful towards seniors and he knows how to behave in public places. I am not saying this because I am in a relationship with him. It's a fact.

Saif was also hit and has a swollen eye. He has given a statement and each one of us stand by it. We were witness to what happened and this is a sure case of Saif being targeted because of his celebrity status. It's disgusting!

An insider account...

You've heard Saif Ali Khan's version and you've heard Iqbal Sharma's version. DT has an insider's account of what really happened. As for the CCTV footage that everyone is waiting for - it is simply not there.

" Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapur, Malaika Arora Khan, Amrita Arora Ladak and another guy (Amrita's husband Shakeel) arrived at Wasabi for dinner post drinks at Harbour Bar. Iqbal and his guests were already there and had more or less finished dinner. Saif and gang were very noisy, so Iqbal complained to the Maitre d'. The manager closed the curtains of the private dining room, but the noise was still too loud. After some time, Saif went to the washroom. When he returned, Iqbal abused him. That's when Saif and he got into a scuffle, leading to the actor breaking Iqbal's nose and ripping his kurta.

While the restaurant staff gave Iqbal a Wasabi shirt to wear, an old couple who was with Iqbal reprimanded Saif for his behaviour. The senior lady actually went up to Saif to give him a piece of her mind, so Saif said he was sorry. She said, "Tell them, not me." Saif said, "Forget it" and walked out. When the other guy in Saif's party was walking out, he passed the old lady's husband who muttered, "Terrible!" or something like that. The man turned around and slapped the old man, who fell down.

Post that, everyone left, so Iqbal asked the hotel's security what to do. They told him he could file a report, but it was better to let things be. Following this, Iqbal went to the hospital and discovered that his nose had been broken, so he filed a police report. All this happened around midnight. The police came to the hotel at 3am and asked the restaurant staff for details of what happened. Everything, except what happened at Wasabi, is on CCTV, as the hotel likes to keep dining areas free of cameras."

Salman Khan supports Saif, says media was biased

Salman Khan, who is back here after the shooting of " Ek Tha Tiger" in Cuba, came out in support of his fellow actor Saif Ali Khan, saying that media should have waited for his version and dug out the facts before running what was carried on television.
"Even the press was all for the other guy. They didn't even bother to ask what happened to Saif. Did Saif got wacked first or not? We should have waited for Saif to come out and say what he had to say," Salman told reporters after he was aksed to comment on the incident.
"We are actors and we have been in the industry for the longest time. Saif has been in the industry for 18 years. We knew the guy," added the actor.
Saif was involved in a scuffle early at Wasabi, the Japanese restaurant at Taj Mahal Palace with South Africa-based Indian businessman Iqbal Sharma. The latter alleged that Saif abused and assaulted him and his father-in-law and filed a complained at the Colaba police station, the actor said he was provoked to do so.
Following Sharma's complain the 41-year-old actor was arrested with two others -- Shakeel Ladak and Bilal Amrohi.
Police detained the trio at the Marine Drive police station and later brought them to the Colaba police station. The interrogation of the trio lasted an hour. Later, the actor and his two friends were freed on personal bonds of Rs.3,000 each.
According to Sharma, Saif called him an "idiot" for complaining about the actor's loud conduct at the restaurant. He said he and his family had requested the restaurant manager to ask Saif and his friends, which included Kareena, Amrita Arora and Malaika Arora Khan, to keep their voices down.
Salman said: "If you have gone into a restaurant, you are not there to manao matam (mourn). You are there to have dinner and drinks. My family was there, everybody was there. I am sure he (Sharma) might be right, but my point is that find out the entire thing and then come on TV."
The actor, who himself has been involved in hit and run case, and scuffles, says the blame always comes on actors.

Bollywood celebs support Saif Ali Khan over his hotel brawl

Several Bollywood celebrities have extended their support to actor Saif Ali Khan, who was recently arrested for assaulting an NRI businessman Iqbal Sharma and later released on bail. On Twitter, stars like Amrita Arora, Farah Ali Khan, Kunal Kohli, Shobhaa De and a few others sympathised with the actor. 

Amrita Arora, who was present at the location of the tiff, said, “It’s sad that celebs become victims of other people wanting their 15 minutes of fame. Just for the record, if the people concerned were assaulted so badly, how come they were fit enough to be on TV giving interviews all day?”

On Twitter, jewellery designer Farah Ali Khan also defended Saif Ali Khan. Farah quipped, “There is something amiss in this incident and I’m sure the facts will come out soon. It’s very unlike Saif to hit an elderly man or provoke a fight.” 

Filmmaker Kunal Kohli, who has earlier worked with Saif Ali Khan in Hum Tum, tweeted, “Saif explained the whole incident on TV just now. It’s unfair to tilt opinions against anyone just because he’s a star.” He added, “Without knowing Saif’s side of what happened how can anyone just believe what this guys saying is true.”

Singer-composer Vishal Dadlani tweeted, “Let me put it this way. IF Saif was provoked or hit first, I think he did what many of us would do. By ‘us’, I mean myself and you guys.” He added, “Unlikely that Saif hit that guy without extreme provocation. At times hecklers get so obnoxious/personal/ aggressive, that one has to react.” 

Director Anubhav Sinha wrote, “TV Celebrating Saif’s Pdmashree tonight more than ever before. Makes for good sensation. Anyone interested in what actually happened?” He added, “Have personally seen stars take a lot of shit because they MUST behave responsibly. I am sure this coin has two sides too. I mustn’t take sides if I don’t know the whole story. NOR SHOULD YOU.”

Meanwhile, writer Shobhaa De cracked a joke about the South African NRI businessman Iqbal Sharma’s broken nose. “Some guys refuse to play it ‘saif’! What to do? Agent Iqbal may help Agent Vinod break records, not noses.”

Saif Ali Khan gets support from Munni Badnaam in assault case

Actor Saif Ali Khan, who has currently become the talk of the nation for his recent brawl with an NRI at a restaurant, finally gets to hear a supportive voice. Saif, who has been defending himself at length, has got someone to raise support for him and slam Iqbal Sharma.

Bollywood actress cum item girl Malaika Arora Khan has finally broke the silence as she was present when the fight took place at that night. A leading daily reports that Malaika felt glad that Saif had come out with his statement. Malaika also admitted that there were chairs thrown and abuses hurled on that night.

Reportedly, the other people who were there during the incident took place, were Saif's girlfriend Kareena Kapoor, her sister Karisma, Amrita Arora and her husband Shakeel Ladakh as well as Malaika. 

Though few reports say that it was actually Shakeel who came to blows initially, but Saif on the other side said that he was provoked by Iqbal after he abused the ladies.