Prithvi Shaw heavily trolled after video of brawl over 'selfie' in Mumbai surfaces

Indian cricketer Prithvi Shaw has landed in yet another controversy for an alleged fight over selfies, which is said to have turned into a brawl with a baseball bat and a car chase in Mumbai in the early hours of Wednesday. According to police officials, a case of rioting and extortion was registered against eight persons, including a woman.

Among the eight mentioned in the police complaint, two have been identified as social media influencer Sapna Gill and her friend Shobhit Thakur. However, the duo is said to have refuted the charges and accused Prithvi Shaw of attacking them first.

According to an official, the incident took when the cricketer had gone to a luxury hotel located near the Mumbai domestic airport at Santacruz for dinner with his businessman friend. A complaint in this connection was lodged by Shaw's friend and flatmate Ashish Yadav, who runs a cafe. Yadav has been staying with Shaw for the last three years at Bandra.

According to the complaint by the cricketer's friend, the argument, which took place near a luxury hotel near Mumbai airport, started after two fans - a man and a woman - approached Prithvi Shaw for selfies.

The complaint adds that despite obliging to a few pictures, the duo refused to back off and demanded more selfies from Shaw. However, the batter called his friend and the hotel's manager to vacate the premises.

After this incident, Shaw and Yadav had dinner at the hotel. But while they were stepping out of the place along with their friend, they saw the same people holding a baseball bat in hand. After they sat in their car, one of the accused attacked the windshield of the vehicle with the baseball bat. Sensing more trouble, Shaw was shifted to another car, while Yadav and others drove his vehicle to Oshiwara.

Yadav saw three motorcycles and a white-coloured car chasing their vehicle. Around 4 am, those following him attacked his car when it was taking a U-turn near a petrol pump on Link Road. One of them slammed the baseball bat on the rear windshield due to which it broke. 

The six motorcycle-borne persons and two others in the car, including Sapna Gill, abused Yadav and those accompanying him. After that, Yadav took the car to Oshiwara police station. The eight accused also followed them there. Sapna Gill allegedly started arguing and threatened Yadav to pay Rs 50,000 to settle the matter or else she would lodge a false police complaint against them, the police official said.

After that, Yadav lodged a complaint against the accused. Based on his complaint, the Oshiwara police registered a case against the eight accused under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 148 (rioting), 384 (extortion), 506 (criminal intimidation) and others.

Investigation into the case is underway, the police official said.

These allegations have, however, been rubbished by those named in the police case. Ali Kashif Khan, Sapna Gill's lawyer, alleged that Prithvi Shaw assaulted the influencer. A video filmed by Gil's friend, which has now gone viral on Twitter, shows her struggling with the cricketer, who is holding a broken baseball bat.

The viral video sparked a massive social media outburst, with most Twitter users calling Prithvi Shaw the next Vinod Kambli.

"Two talented cricketers from Mumbai who got addicted to substances and ruined their careers. Both went bald early. Both resorted to violence at some point. Both had a close friend in teenage who later became famous for hitting centuries," noted one Twitter user.

Another added, "Prithvi Shaw is a great example of how to destroy your own career. Viral videos on social media are so shameful for a young talent like him. Not going to post that video and request the same from all."

Here's a look at how Twitter reacted to the Prithvi Shaw 'selfie' brawl video, which has now gone viral: