Bhopal, June 30: Punjab Kings cricketer Shashank Singh has broken his silence after an FIR was registered against him and his father over allegations of assaulting and verbally abusing a staff member on Tuesday.
Denying the accusations, Shashank claimed that the man had falsely posed as a cook, behaved suspiciously inside the house and was caught recording private videos and photographs of the property.
Speaking to ANI over the issue, Shashank said, "No, we didn't hold him hostage... It is true that he arrived claiming to be a cook, but he wasn't a cook at all. He didn't know how to cook; he was just here to have fun, taking videos and photos, and even going into my room."
He also said, "Since he was doing things like that, I suspect he came with the intention of stealing. We are very fortunate that, from what we’ve checked so far, nothing has been stolen... It is true that his phone contained videos and photos of the house, so my mother had him delete them because they were very private."
Speaking about the police action, he said, "The police haven't approached us so far. When we caught him taking photos and videos, my sister suggested dialing 100. But he pleaded, and I let him go. It is possible that someone might level such allegations against me."
He further stated, "I believe that anyone who knows me, knows that physical altercation is completely out of the question for me. I hesitate even to use abusive language, so I certainly couldn't do something like that. I don't think I need to offer any justification regarding this."
According to the complaint, Vipendra Singh Tomar alleged that he was hired as a cook at the family's Bhopal residence on June 25 but decided to quit after witnessing what he described as an abusive work environment.
He claimed Shashank Singh, his father Shailesh Singh and their driver assaulted him, snatched his phone, verbally abused him and wrongfully confined him after he refused to continue working. Based on his complaint, Ratibad Police registered an FIR against the three accused and the matter is currently under investigation.
