The former Indian captain expressed his dismay over what he described as the actions of "fans" and called for players' privacy to be respected.
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“I understand that fans get very happy and excited seeing their favourite players and get excited to meet them and I’ve always appreciated that,” Mr Kohli wrote in a caption to
“But this video is appalling and it’s made me feel very paranoid about my privacy. If I cannot have privacy in my own hotel room, then where can I really expect any personal space at all? I’m not OK with this kind of fanaticism and absolute invasion of privacy. Please respect people’s privacy and not treat them as a commodity for entertainment,“ he said.
Indian cricketer Virat Kohli sitting in a hotel lobby. (Representative image) Source: AFP / ISHARA S.KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images
"The safety and privacy of our guests is our number one priority, and we are incredibly disappointed this incident has occurred," the spokesperson said in a on Monday.
"We unreservedly apologise to the guest involved and will continue to take the necessary steps to ensure this remains an isolated incident.
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"We have zero tolerance for this behaviour, and it falls well below the standards we set for our team members and contractors.
"Crown took immediate steps to rectify the issue, including launching an investigation, standing down the individuals involved and removing them from the Crown account. The original video was also swiftly removed from the social media platform.
"We are also cooperating with the Indian Cricket team and the International Cricket Council to convey our apologies and will continue to work with them as we progress our investigation."
According to Melbourne-based legal expert Ian Nathaniel, while technically there was a breach, it would be up to the cricketer now to lodge a complaint if he wants to take the matter further.
Ian Nathaniel is a Melbourne-based legal expert. He has also been involved in managing Royal Commissions and quasi-judicial proceedings for clients in various tribunals on a national basis. Credit: Mr Ian Nathaniel
In his view, it is Crown's responsibility to ensure high standards are maintained by the cleaning and security contractors.
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Indian Film Festival Director Mitu Bhowmick Lange, who has been hosting Indian Bollywood stars as well as cricketers in Australia for more than 10 years, said maintaining the privacy of high-profile guests is very difficult.
"There is a strange sense of entitlement that people feel towards celebrities that often crosses all levels of reason and decency," Ms Lange said.
Mitu Bhowmick Lange is the director of Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM). In this year's IFFM, Kapil Dev was one of the guests. Credit: Mitu Bhowmick Lange
"But, hotels need to take complete and absolute responsibility as the safety and privacy of guests is on them," she pointed out.
Mr Nathaniel also feels that it's hard to maintain privacy when these personalities have such devoted fan bases.
"It is impossible to say who is at fault... Both (Crown and contractors) have obligations to keep customers' personal information confidential and safe from interference," he said.
Kohli was playing a match in Perth on Sunday against South Africa during the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022.
A match between India and Bangladesh is scheduled for Wednesday in Adelaide.
