On Friday, the private agency which supervises security arrangements for IPL matches in the city approached Bangalore Police's VVIP cell and asked them to take over Shah Rukh Khan's protection. The superstar is in the city to watch Saturday's match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Since SRK doesn't fall under the 'Z' or 'Y' categories, and because IPL is a commercial venture, the police replied that they will have to be paid for it.
"Shah Rukh Khan might be a big star and the owner of an IPL team. But any person who is not officially entitled to security under a certain category will not be given a pilot or a police escort," D Dharmaiah, Deputy Commissioner of Police (VVIP), told Bangalore Mirror. When a South African security official hired by RCB called up Dharmaiah on Friday morning to talk about SRK's security, the latter reiterated this.
"If he (SRK) needs special police protection, the organisers should apply to the city police commissioner and pay the stipulated amount for such services to the city police. Only then can we do the needful," Dharmaiah said.
Field officers of the VVIP security cell were also given clear instructions by their superiors in this regard.
Recently, former city police commissioner Shankar M Bidari had hiked the amount to be paid to the city police for providing security for IPL matches. The total amount is Rs 1.12 crore for the seven matches, and includes security for players.
"We do provide police escort and other security arrangements to a person free of charge if we are intimated about it by the concerned central or state government agency. In this case, we haven't received any such intimation," Dharmaiah said. SRK reached Bangalore on Friday evening and checked in at ITC Gardenia where both the teams are also put up. No police security or escort was provided to him on Friday.
"It is not just Shah Rukh Khan. Any person not officially authorised security will have to formally apply for security and pay the required fee and only then will we provide it," said Additional Commissioner (Law & Order) T Sunil Kumar.
During the last IPL season, former IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi, who was given 'Z' category security by Bangalore Police when he came to watch a match here, was charged Rs 50,000 for it by the police.
DNA Networks, which handles such matters for Royal Challengers Bangalore however denied that police security has been requested for SRK.
"We have paid the full amount of Rs 1.12 crore fixed by city police to provide security for the matches, players and franchisees. I really don't know what the confusion is about," a senior executive with DNA Networks told Mirror.
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