Saif struck first: hotel employee tells police

An employee of the Taj hotel has reportedly told the police that actor Saif Ali Khan had provoked and then struck out first at South African businessman Iqbal Sharma. [caption id=“attachment_224603” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Saif has not backed up his claims of being attacked with a medical certificate, police said. AFP”] [/caption] According to NDTV , one of the employees of the hotel said that the actor provoked Iqbal Sharma and punched him first. The actor was arrested and granted bail on Wednesday night after Sharma filed a complaint against him with the police. Saif had also filed a complaint against Sharma, a South African of Indian origin, alleging that he had acted in self defence after being attacked. The actor had also claimed that Sharma and his father-in-law, a senior citizen had attacked him first and had abused his women friends who were with him at the time. However, the NDTV report quotes police officials who said that the actor’s claims of injury were not backed up with a medical certificate and there is no evidence. The police also said that there were no video cameras that covered the area where the brawl took place at the hotel. They have so far recorded the statements of 15 people and said there is a ‘strong case’ against the actor.