Delhi cricket body selector Amit Bhandari assaulted
NEW DELHI: Former India pacer Amit Bhandari, the chairperson of the senior selection committee in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), was allegedly beaten up by an Under-23 cricketer and his friends at the St Stephen’s ground in north Delhi’s Mori Gate on Monday.
Nupur Prasad, deputy commissioner of police (north), said that the attack was led by Anuj Dedha, a cricketer who was disgruntled because he didn’t make it to the Delhi squad for the national U-23 one-day tournament.
Bhandari was admitted to Sant Parmanand Hospital in Civil Lines where he was treated for his injuries, and discharged around 7pm.
Eyewitnesses said Bhandari was thrashed with cricket bats, hockey sticks and rods.
He received four stitches on his head and was left with a wounded leg, but is out of danger, said Bhandari’s friend and former Delhi first-class player, Siddharth Verma, who is also the chairman of the junior selection committee.
Prasad said Dedha and his associate Naresh have been arrested and a search is on for the other assailants, between 10 and 15 in number. “We have booked them for attempts to commit culpable homicide and criminal intimidation,” Prasad said.
The i ncident took place around 1.15pm on Monday when Bhandari, Delhi coach Mithun Manhas and selection panel member Sukhvinder Singh were watching a trial match for selections to the Delhi senior team for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament.
“Armed with hockey sticks, rods and cricket bats, 8-10 people arrived at the ground. For a while, there was an animated discussion. Manhas and Sukhvinder tried to pacify them and sort out the issue. But the group threatened to shoot anyone who tried to rescue Bhandari. They then thrashed Bhandari with hockey sticks,” said Shankar Saini, the Delhi team manager who was witness to the incident.
“The guard caught one of the attackers while he tried to escape,” Verma said.
“The goons were pressurising him to select a player who had failed to make it to the U-23 team on merit. Bhandari has claimed that he was also threatened with a revolver”, DDCA president, Rajat Sharma, said.
Previously, Dedha had not been selected in the U-23 squad for the CK Nayudu Trophy.
A few days earlier, when the U-23 one-day squad was selected, he was not picked in the team again. The senior panel is responsible for selection to the senior and U-23 sides.
“A goon tries to force his way into the squad every couple of years, not on merit, but on the back of strong-arm tactics. The past has seen entire selection committees being sacked over this, rather than pressurising the police to register criminal cases against the delinquent players,” said former India and Delhi player Kirti Azad, reacting to the incident.
“This is a worrying incident. We had taken trials of around 400-500 players and selected a 15-member squad. If everyone not selected starts behaving like this, it will be very difficult to pick teams. DDCA should think of arranging security and ensure these trials are held only at Ferozeshah Kotla, which has better security arrangements,” Sukhvinder said.
The trial was being held at St Stephen’s ground because Ferozeshah Kotla was closed due to preparations for the India-australia ODI on March 13.