Shah Rukh in middle of controversy after KKR signs Bangladeshi player

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan finds himself at the centre of an escalating controversy over the decision of his IPL team KKR to sign Bangladeshi player Mustafizur Rahman, with multiple parties speaking out — either slamming him or saying he was being targeted for his Muslim identity.

Leaders of the BJP and the Shiv Sena said they would not tolerate Rahman being part of the IPL, given the atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh. The opposition Congress Bhai Jagtap backed the star and said the controversy is evidence of the “BJP-RSS’ double-faced policy” as India still plays cricket with Pakistan. “In Bangladesh, Hindus are being tortured, killed, and thrown out of their homes, naked and beaten. Buying players from there is treason against the country. People like Shah Rukh Khan are traitors,” BJP’s Sangeet Som said.

Shiv Sena leader Krishna Hegde said the party’s stand has always been to not allow anyone who has committed atrocities against Hindus or is involved in a terrorist attack in India to play in India. “We would request the IPL governing body and the BCCI to ban these players... They cannot commit atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh and then enjoy the hospitality and the benefits and the money from India,” he said.

Spiritual leader Rambhadracharya also criticised Shah Rukh Khan.

“It is unfortunate, but he will do so because he is considered a hero. Shah Rukh Khan’s stance has consistently been at odds with the nation. His character has always been questionable and anti-national,” he claimed. Some voices spoke up in support of the “Chak De! India” star. “Shah Rukh Khan is being targeted because he is Muslim; we still play cricket with Pakistani cricketers after Operation Sindoor. This is the BJP-RSS’s double-faced policy,” Congress leader Jagtap said.

Shah Rukh, he said, does not select the team on his own. “There is a process, and in that process, I have never seen SRK sitting there. Juhi Chawla and her husband sit in that process because they are partners. It is not like Shah Rukh Khan went to Bangladesh and Pakistan and selected players there,” Jagtap said, adding that everything is done with the concurrence of the ICC. According to TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh, not every issue needs to be politicised. “What will they achieve by targeting Shah Rukh Khan?” he asked.

Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi also questioned the brouhaha over the inclusion of the Bangladeshi player in KKR.

“The player he signed, has he ever harmed Hindus? If I say it bluntly, it is the governments that spread hatred. Bangladesh’s Sheikh Hasina, who was sentenced to death, where is she now? She has been allowed to stay in our country. Then there is Taslima Nasrin. When you look at all these issues, it becomes clear that all this is just about spreading hatred among people,” he said.

On December 18, a 25-year-old Hindu man, identified as Dipu Chandra Das, was lynched by a mob and his body set on fire over alleged blasphemy in Mymensingh city. A week later, on December 24, another Hindu man, identified as Amrit Mondal, was lynched over alleged extortion in Rajbari town’s Pangsha upazila.