Shah Rukh Khan hit with ‘traitor’ slur after Kolkata Knight Riders signs Bangladeshi cricketer

MUMBAI, Jan 2 — Shah Rukh Khan has been pulled into a heated political row after his IPL team, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), signed Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman — a move that has triggered sharp reactions across India, The Statesman reported.

The backlash began when Hindu religious leader Devkinandan Thakur questioned KKR’s decision, citing reports of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh. 

The criticism escalated yesterday when BJP leader Sangeet Singh Som accused Shah Rukh Khan, one of KKR’s co-owners, of betraying the country.

“People like Shah Rukh Khan are traitors; they eat in India and sing praises of Pakistan and Bangladesh,” Som told ANI, adding that Mustafizur “won’t be able to step outside the airport” if he comes to India.

Hindu spiritual leader Jagadguru Swami Rambhadracharya echoed the attack, saying: “He (Shah Rukh Khan) is not a hero. Shah Rukh Khan does not have a character. His actions have been those of a traitor.”

Doubling down, Devkinandan Thakur demanded the cricketer be dropped and suggested his reported IPL fee be redirected to affected families in Bangladesh. 

“As a gesture of apology and remorse, Rs 9.2 crore (about RM5 million)… should be given to the families of the Hindu children who are being killed there,” he said.

Opposition leaders pushed back strongly. 

Congress’s Supriya Shrinate questioned why Khan was being targeted, pointing to cricket authorities instead: “Who put the Bangladeshi players in that pool… Home Minister’s son, Jay Shah, should answer.”

Congress MP Manickam Tagore called the remarks an attack on India’s plural identity, writing: “Calling Superstar Shah Rukh Khan a ‘traitor’ is an attack on India’s pluralism. Hate cannot define nationalism.”

Muslim leaders also condemned the accusations. 

Imam Association president Maulana Sajid Rashidi said protests often erupt “whenever a Muslim name comes up,” stressing that lawful sporting decisions fall under constitutional and legal norms. 

All India Muslim Jamaat president Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi added that while concern for minorities in Bangladesh was valid, branding the actor a traitor “cannot be justified under any circumstances”.

The controversy comes amid heightened tensions over recent violence in Bangladesh. IPL authorities have yet to comment.