Bangladesh cricketer Shakib Al Hasan issues apology to angry fans for attending Kali Puja in Kolkata

As per reports, Shakib had gone to attend the inauguration ceremony of a Kali Puja mandap in Kolkata. This however, did not go down well with his fans, who severely criticized him.

Dhaka: Bangladesh cricketer Shakib Al Hasan has issued an apology for hurting sentiments after receiving flak over attending the inauguration ceremony of a Kali Puja mandap.

According to Dhaka Tribune, Shakib visited Kolkata`s Kakurgachi to attend the inaugural ceremony of a Kali Puja mandap. However, this did not go well with the player`s fans who started criticising him.

"I want to start by saying I am a proud Muslim and try to practice religion properly. There will be mistakes and that is part of life. I apologize if I have made a mistake and apologize if I have hurt your sentiment," Dhaka Tribune quoted Shakib as saying in a video.

Terming as false media reports that suggested he inaugurated the puja, Shakib in his video said he travelled to Kolkata for a felicitation program on behalf of the authority of that area. Moreover, Trinamool Congress MLA Paresh Paul, who was the main initiator to a Kali Puja stage in Kolkata, denied that the cricketer inaugurated the puja.

"I want to make this clear. Shakib did not inaugurate our puja at all. We did not even invite him to inaugurate the puja. When we heard that he was coming to visit Kolkata, we wanted him to visit our puja stage once as a guest," Paul said.

Paul further stated: "After the puja was inaugurated, he simply got up on our stage and gave a short speech to the audience. Earlier, we brought him to the Puja premises in a horse-drawn carriage with due respect of a guest."

As per Dhaka Tribune, Bangladesh police arrested the man who had threatened to kill Shakib for "inaugurating the Kali Puja."