Since Vikas Dalvi stuck to his mother tongue while bravely fending off Shah Rukh Khan from the Wankhede ground, party workers want to felicitate him
It was only a matter of time before the MNS jumped into the IPL’s biggest fight this year — between Shah Rukh Khan and the Mumbai Cricket Association. After Vikas Dalvi, the security guard of Wankhede Stadium, stopped Khan and company from getting on to the field late night after an IPL match, he has been much publicised in the media. Cashing in on the high-voltage moment, Raj Thackeray-led MNS has taken charge of the situation and decided to felicitate him. But it’s not just for the ‘gallantry’ or efficiency he displayed. Dalvi responded only in Marathi to the actor’s English abuses, and this has made him rise in the eyes of the MNS. Party members have called upon Dalvi, and it seems the guard has agreed to meet them.
ADVERTISEMENT
‘Such valour’
Arvind Tawde, South Mumbai vibhag adhyaksh of MNS said that soon after the news came out, party members decided to honour Dalvi. “Since the incident happened in our area and such exemplary courage was shown by one of our own Marathi manoos, we, being from South Mumbai, decided to honour Dalvi. We heard that while interacting with Shah Rukh Khan, Dalvi stuck to his mother tongue and spoke only in Marathi. He did his job well and such bravery needs to be acknowledged,” said Tawde.
He continued, “All our efforts to find Dalvi failed in the beginning. But we kept in constant touch with our contacts at the MCA and finally, through them, we managed to speak to him on Saturday evening, and informed him about our plans.” Tawde said that the security guard has agreed to meet the party. “He told me that he’s out of town for a few days. He had planned a vacation long before the incident took place. He will be back only on June 9 and meet us,” Tawde said.
‘Just doing my job’
When contacted, Dalvi, a Lalbaug resident, confirmed that MNS party members did call him. Asked whether he would accept the proposed felicitation, Dalvi said, “I did what my job asks me to do. I haven’t thought anything about it. I didn’t do it because somebody is a celebrity. I hold no grudge against anyone. Let the MCA decide (on the felicitation), and whatever the administration says I will do.” Dalvi reserved further comment, saying only, “What one can see in the picture is that I was stopping Shah Rukh Khan. I was only performing my duty. I wouldn’t like the matter to be dragged beyond this,” he said.u00a0The Shiv Sena has already praised Dalvi in the party mouthpiece Saamna. However, party MLA Abhijit Adsul said, “Felicitating Dalvi per say is not a bad gesture, but then it shouldn’t be politically motivated and shouldn’t be done to gain political benefits.”u00a0
![](https://www.mid-day.com/assets/images/flight.png)