Punjab Kings batter Shashank Singh has broken his silence after an FIR was registered against him, his father Shailesh Singh, and their driver over allegations of assault made by a domestic cook. The cricketer has strongly denied the accusations and claimed the entire episode was part of a pre-planned extortion attempt.
The case comes from a complaint filed by Vipendra Singh Tomar, a 31-year-old resident of Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa district. Tomar alleged that he was assaulted, verbally abused and wrongfully confined while working at the Singh family’s residence in Bhopal.
Following his complaint, Ratibad Police registered an FIR against Shashank Singh, his father and the driver under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Shashank Singh claims worker had multiple criminal cases
Responding to the allegations, Shashank said a background verification conducted after the FIR revealed that Tomar allegedly had a lengthy criminal record.
According to the Punjab Kings batter, the worker had nine FIRs registered against him since 2018. He claimed the cases included charges such as attempted murder, robbery and house trespassing. Shashank further alleged that Tomar had already been convicted in four of those cases.
The cricketer also said that the worker had been hired directly and not through a registered agency, which he described as a mistake. Shashank claimed the situation later appeared to be an attempt to extort money from him because of his public profile. He alleged that he received calls demanding between Rs 7 lakh and Rs 7.5 lakh in exchange for withdrawing the complaint.
“I refused because I would not pay for something I had not done,” Shashank said while speaking to ANI.
Cook alleges assault, wrongful confinement
Tomar’s version of events is completely different, of course. According to the FIR, he joined work at the Singh family’s bungalow on June 25 after being promised a monthly salary of Rs 15,000 along with food and accommodation. He alleged that disagreements over the quality of food he prepared led to frequent arguments.
Tomar claimed that when he expressed a desire to leave the job, his mobile phone was taken away and he was prevented from contacting others. He further alleged that Shashank Singh, his father and the driver entered his room and physically assaulted him after he tried to leave.
The complaint also states that he suffered visible injuries, which were later noted during a medical examination.
Meanwhile, Shashank has filed a separate complaint alleging theft of two silver Ganesh idols and other valuables from the residence. He said CCTV footage and other evidence had been submitted to the police but claimed there had been little progress in the investigation so far.
At present, police are investigating both sides of the matter.
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