Prithvi Shaw selfie controversy: Mumbai Police registers case against 8 people for alleged attack on car of cricketer's friend

Oshiwara Police has registered a case against eight people over an alleged attack on the car of a friend of cricketer Prithvi Shaw after the cricketer refused to take a selfie for the second time with two people, said Mumbai Police on Thursday. 

The alleged attack took place outside a five-star hotel in Mumbai on February 15. According to the complaint given by Shaw's friend Ashish Surendra Yadav, first the car carrying Shaw was attacked with baseball bats, then the accused followed the car and threatened of false cases if money was not given.

Oshiwara Police have booked the eight people under several sections of the Indian Penal Code for unlawful assembly and using weapons for offence (143, 148,149, 384, 437, 504, 506) after the incident.

Shaw had gone to a five-star hotel in Santacruz for dinner where the unidentified accused insisted on a selfie. Shaw obliged two people with selfie, but the same group returned and asked for selfies with the other accused. Shaw refused this time saying he has come to eat food with friends and doesn't want to be disturbed. When they insisted, Prithvi's friend called the manager of the hotel and complained about them, according to the complaint.

The accused were asked to leave the hotel by the manager. This incident enraged them and when Shaw and his friend came out of the hotel after eating, some people were standing outside the hotel with baseball bats. Prithvi’s friend’s car, a BMW, was vandalised as the accused used baseball bats to smash the front and rear windows of the vehicle.

Shaw has played 12 matches for India - five Tests, six ODIs and one T20I - the last of which came in July 2021. He recently returned to the T20I squad for the series against New Zealand at the start of this year but didn't get a game. Shaw's last competitive game was against Delhi in the Ranji Trophy in the second half of January.