Shakib al Hasan is a national hero, looked up to by millions. However, no matter who he is, he must still abide by the same tenets of common decency, and indeed common law, that the rest of us do. Indeed, as a public figure, his responsibility is even greater.
There can thus be no excuse for Shakib beating up a young man for allegedly harassing his wife, no matter what the provocation. The beating of the young man followed by his arrest and incarceration strikes us as a textbook example of abuse of power and privilege that is absolutely shocking.
Placing oneself above the law, as Shakib did in this instance, is unacceptable. Compounding his sins, under the rules of the game, he should never have even left the players’ enclosure for any reason, much less to administer street justice to a hapless spectator.
Even more concerning is that this is reportedly not the first time he has acted in this way, nor is there any evidence that he is at all apologetic or regretful for his actions. Had there been some contrition or acknowledgement on his part, that would have gone some way to ameliorating his actions, but as it is, it seems clear that he does not understand how or why he was beyond the pale.
Shakib’s actions have been shameful. He is lucky to avoid legal liability for his outburst, but there can be no question that he deserves, at the very least, serious disciplinary action as a rebuke for his behavior. To do otherwise would be to send the message that stars are above the law.