Shahrukh in a spot for smoking during IPL

Puffing away on a cigarette to absorb the tension of an Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match has put Bollywood super star and owner of Kolkata Knight Riders team Shah Rukh Khan in a spot with the anti-smoking lobby.

The National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE) has protested against the filmstar who was shown on TV smoking during an IPL match on April 21 in South Africa.

NOTE has asked the South African National Council Against Smoking (NCAS) to consider the issue seriously and ban smoking in the stadium during the IPL matches.

“I chatted with them and sent details and to Supersport, who are the broadcasters. I am soliciting an agreement that they will not show anyone smoking,” Peter Ucko from NCAS has informed NOTE.

NOTE General Secretary Shekhar Salkar said he had contacted NCAS to explore possibilities to prevent such incidents in the future.

The NCAS in its reply has said that the Act that will ban smoking in sport stadium is not yet in force in South Africa, but smoking was not permitted in certain enclosures.

NOTE said in the absence a law, a request has been made to Shah Rukh Khan to quit smoking for his own well being.