One of the employees of the Mumbai hotel where actor Saif Ali Khan allegedly punched an NRI businessman on Tuesday night has given a statement that goes against the claims made by the actor. In his statement to the police, the employee has reportedly said that the actor provoked Iqbal Sharma and punched him first. Saif was arrested late on Wednesday evening based on a complaint filed against him by Mr Sharma, who claims that the actor assaulted him and fractured his nose at Taj Hotel's Wasabi restaurant in Colaba. The actor was released on bail the same day.

In a counter complaint he filed hours after being released, Saif insisted that he acted in self-defence as he was attacked first. He claimed that Mr Sharma's father-in-law punched him first and that the duo abused the women who were accompanying him at the restaurant. He also alleged that his eye was swollen after he was hit. Sources in the Mumbai Police however told NDTV that the complaint filed by the actor does not stand as he has not backed his application with medical certificates.

Yesterday, the actor apologised for losing his cool and said,"...it is our responsibility that we always behave the right way. So in one way, I would like to apologise about what happened and I think even this could have been handled in a different way. I get angry at things any normal person will get angry at. But it should not be displayed in public."

The police say no video cameras were installed in the area where the brawl took place at Wasabi. They have so far recorded the statements of 15 people and prima facie, say sources, there is a "strong case" against the actor.

When the incident happened at Wasabi on Tuesday night, Mr Sharma, a businessman from South Africa, was seated at the table next to Saif and his group. The actor had other Bollywood friends with him - girlfriend Kareena Kapoor, Kareena's sister Karisma Kapoor, actor Amrita Arora, her husband, Shakeel Ladak, Amrita's sister Malaika Arora Khan, and Bilal Amrohi, a producer.

In his version of events, Mr Sharma says he sent a note to Saif's table, asking his group to talk a little softer. "They were making a lot of noise. And we asked the management to ask them to be quiet so that we could also enjoy our evening. This failed on about three occasions at least." Mr Sharma says his family and he decided to leave the restaurant; on their way out, they ran into Saif who had left Wasabi and was on his way back in. At this point, Mr Sharma says, Saif struck.

The actor has, however, denied this. Actor Salman Khan has stood up in his support. At an event in Mumbai today, he said, "I support Saif. My family was there (Malaika Arora Khan is Salman's sister- in-law) ...I know what happened." Saif's home production, Agent Vinod, releases on March 23. It co-stars Kareena.