FIR against Bihar cricket officials alleges kickback

We have been trying for a long time to draw the attention of the police but nothing was happening. The culprits should be booked now. ADITYA VERMA, CAB secretary

NEWDELHI: Bihar cricket is in fresh turmoil after an FIR was lodged in the Gandhi Maidan Police Station, Patna, last week. The FIR, filed by Cricket Association of Muzaffarpur, alleges Bihar Cricket Association officials, including its secretary, received huge sums of money for letting players from outside the state play domestic tournaments run by the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

After more than 15 years, Bihar returned to mainstream cricket last year on an order from the Supreme Court but the infighting in the state has led to controversies over selection of players and officials. The BCCI, run by administrators, too has remained silent, refusing to appoint an adhoc body to oversee cricket operations in Bihar.

BCA secretary Rabi Shankar Prasad Singh, against whom there are allegations of malpractices, dismissed the charges. “These are based on a TV sting operation and how does it matter what people say on TV against me?” Singh said, adding, “there are forces out to malign Bihar cricket.”

From making counterfeit age and address proofs to receiving kickbacks, at least four BCA officials have been named in the FIR. The police has appointed a Sub-inspector to investigate. “We have already started our internal probe as per our constitution. Action have been taken against players who submitted forged documents. We welcome the police investigation,” Singh said.

It is understood that two senior IPS officers have facilitated registering the FIR. “We have been trying for a long time to draw the attention of the police. The culprits should be booked,” said Cricket Association of Bihar secretary Aditya Verma. It is Verma’s petition that led to the Supreme Court ousting two BCCI presidents and forming a Committee of Administrators to execute a set of reforms recommended by the RM Lodha panel.