SRK brawl: Wankhede guard fears for his life

Mumbai: Not many would dare to do what Vikas Balkrishna Dalvi accomplished. For several moments on Wednesday night, the 52-year-old security guard was the one man standing between Shah Rukh Khan and his entourage, and the Wankhede pitch. Whether as recompense or to de-escalate the situation, Vikas has been sent on ‘temporary leave’ by Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) officials.

Speaking exclusively to MiD DAY, Vikas — who’s been working at the stadium for 25 years — justified his actions while recounting the terrible ordeal. But on one point he is confident: he did his duty. “It has been extremely chaotic. I have had TV channels knocking at my doors all the time. I fear for my life. These are wealthy, powerful people, who are capable of doing anything to me,” he said. Vikas is a resident of Kalachowkie, where he lives with wife Reshma and son Vaibhav.

Whistle-stop tour

Vikas denied having manhandled the kids in SRK’s posse. “I watched what Khan said on TV. All I did was walk across to where the children were and blow my whistle. I only put my hand out to prevent them from entering the stadium. Then Khan came up from behind and began hurling abuses at me in English,” he claimed. Vaibhav is proud of what his father did.

“He did his duty. I am proud of my baba’s actions. Tyane je kai kela te barobar kela (whatever he did was right),” he said. Vikas, who hails from the Konkan region of Maharashtra, said, “It does not make any difference that I’ve been told to go on leave. I had planned to take time off for 15 days anyway. Now, I am leaving town for a few days to escape the media harassment, and to clear my head.”

Calling a halt

Recounting the incident, Vikas added, “It is our duty to clear the stadium after the match is over. The first thing I saw was a group of children trooping into the premises after the event. I immediately halted them, and told them they could not proceed. Khan and two or three other inebriated men were following close behind and came running up to me. They then began shoving me aside, abusing me. Khan himself reeked of alcohol.”

However, Vikas valiantly stood his ground. By this time, MCA officials had also arrived on the scene, and along with the security guard, attempted to calm the furious star down, but to no avail. Later, Vikas narrated the entire incident to MCA officials, who then wrote a letter to the police. “I am happy that the MCA has taken a stand and banned Khan from the stadium for five years,” he said.