While the actor tried to calm tempers in what has clearly become a political slugfest and agree to cut the number of seats in the VIP gallery — at least two ministers have joined the issue against CAB that even held out a threat to pull IPL matches out of Kolkata —KKR’s co-owner and SRK’s fellow actor Juhi Chawla rushed to Mamata Banerjee’s house with a special invite for Tuesday’s match in a not-so-subtle bid to add political weight to her side. Mamata, however, seemed unwilling to play the ball.

Tuesday’s clash began when the state’s fire services department lodged an FIR against CAB for allowing the structure to be used during yesterday’s match between KKR and Bangalore Royal Challengers.

The FIR, filed at the Maidan Police Station against CAB joint-secretary Biswarup Dey, said the latter had broken rules by allowing franchise KKR to use the makeshift super-hospitality block during yesterday’s match despite warnings.

The structure, set up adjacent to the CAB’s Club House, is a special 400-seater block made of plywood for which the KKR has sold tickets for Rs 32,000 each. Aimed at drawing high-profile crowds, the two-tier structure has been under the scanner ever since the state public works department (PWD) and the fire services department refused to allow IPL organisers use it, terming it unsafe and unfit. KKR, however, went ahead with its plans yesterday, throwing open the block to spectators, but only after KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan gave a written undertaking to the PWD, taking full responsibility in the event of a mishap.

After the FIR, CAB joint secretary accused the state fire services minister of seeking publicity through the move. “If he and his department are so concerned over the use of the structure and safety standards, why isn’t he filing an FIR against Shah Rukh Khan? I am sure it will give him even more publicity. The picture is this — after the PWD’s initial refusal to give the fit certificate, KKR gave a written undertaking to PWD and the department responded with a conditional clearance. KKR then went ahead with its plans. But today, the fire services suddenly dragged CAB into this, filing an FIR against me,” Dey said, even threatening to ask the BCCI to withdraw the IPL matches from Kolkata if the state government continues to “play spoilsport and not cooperate” with the CAB. “IPL is not our festival. If the state government has so many problems with us, then the BCCI is welcome to take away the IPL from Kolkata,” Dey said.

Interestingly, even as Kolkata Police Commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakraborti yesterday said a “conditional clearance” had been given to KKR to use the structure in the first two IPL games, Fire Services Minister Pratim Chatterjee denied this. “The structure is a wooden gallery, and we have given no permission for its use. No one other than us has the authority to give permission, and we didn’t give them any permission,” Chatterjee said today. PWD Minister Kshiti Goswami too joined chorus, claiming KKR and CAB hadn’t been given any such permission.

Shah Rukh, meanwhile, first sought a meeting with the state government top brass earlier in the day, but after it didn’t work out, he got into a huddle with top PWD officials at KKR’s team hotel in the evening. After a lengthy meeting with secretary of the state PWD department A R Bardhan, Shah Rukh agreed to cut down the capacity of the 400-seater super-hospitality structure to 250 for Tuesday’s match at Eden.

Bardhan said: “After detailed discussions, we have come to an agreement. Shah Rukh has decided to bring down the capacity at the super hospitality block to 250 for tomorrow’s match from the earlier 400. And he has also given us another written undertaking at the meeting, taking full responsibility for any mishap that happens at tomorrow’s match.” Dalmiya, however, was implacable. “It (the FIR) is unjust and unfair for us. Why should the CAB take the blame for what has happened? Anyway, we don’t like the way we are being treated. As far as the CAB is concerned, we are mulling legal action (against the state fire services department). We are discussing the matter with our legal experts right now,” he said in evening.