Cricket selector is assaulted
DDCA Mess: Former India pacer Bhandari targetted
Former pacer Amit Bhandari, who is chairman of the Delhi and District Cricket Association selection committee, was on Monday assaulted by a group of unidentified men led by a U-23 aspirant who was not selected. He was attacked with hockey sticks at the trials before being rushed to a hospital by his coselector Sukhvinder Singh.
The goons fled the spot before the police could arrive. Bhandari got seven stitches for cuts on his legs and head.
The goons were pressurising him to select a player, who had failed to get into the U-23 team on merit. Amit claimed that the one man also threatened him with a revolver. Bhandari is still rattled after the incident. Delhi cricket has always been mired in corruption charges and allegations of dubious selection at the various levels.
Former India pacer Amit Bhandari, who is chairman of the DDCA senior selection committee, was assaulted by a group of unidentified men, led by a disgruntled Under-23 player, during the Delhi senior team's practice game at the St Stephen's ground, here on Monday. The senior team is gearing up for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (National Twenty20 tournament), starting February 21.
Anuj Dheda, who was not selected in the state team, attacked Bhandari, who sustained head and ear injuries and was taken to Sant Paramanand Hospital at Civil Lines by his colleague Sukhvinder Singh.
The goons along with the player in question fled before the cops could reach the spot but was later arrested.
"At around 1.15 pm at St Stephen ground where trials were going on, one person Anuj Dheda, who was not selected, came and asked about his rejection and slapped Bhandari. Some 1015 more boys came and hit him," Nupur Prasad, Deputy Commissioner of Police (north) said. "Based on the complaint, a case has been registered and the accused and his brother Naveen were arrested," the DCP said.
Dedha's name featured in the initial 79-member list, released by the DDCA in November for the U-23 trials. As per the probables list accessed by PTI, his date of birth is November 22, 1995.
Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) president Rajat Sharma told PTI that guilty will not be spared.
"I have personally spoken to the Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik. The guilty will not go unpunished. We will register an FIR," Sharma said.
Sharma, who went to meet Bhandari at the hospital said, "He is very shaken and it is natural. The doctors have advised that he should be kept under observation for 24 hours as a precautionary measure."
"The goons were pressurising him to select a player, who had failed to get into the U-23 team on merit. Bhandari claimed that the one man also threatened him with a revolver. This is shameful that an honest selector was being prevented from performing his duties. I have been told that one person has been detained for questioning," Sharma, who is also a well-known journalist, informed. Former India batman Virender Sehwag demanded strict action.
"The attack on Delhi selector Amit Bhandari for not picking a player is a new low and I am hopeful that stringent action will be taken against the culprit and adequate measures will be taken to avoid such incidents,' Sehwag tweeted.
Former India opener and Delhi legend Gautam Gambhir said a life ban should be handed to the guilty.
"Disgusted to see this happen right in heart of the capital. This can't slip under the carpet and I will personally ensure it does not," he tweeted. "To begin with I am calling for a life ban for the player who, orchestrated this attack post his non-selection."
Delhi's senior team manager Shankar Saini narrated the incident.
"When the other senior team players attending the trials along with us rushed to save Bhandari, they started threatening us and one of them said, "Don't get into this or else we will shoot you. They attacked Bhandari with hockey sticks and rods”.