Dungarpur, Bindra should give proof, BCCI tells Govt

Lele’s offer: “Our board will welcome an investigation by the police or any appropriate investigating agency which is seized of the matter…we are also requesting all our present and former office-bearers, members, players, officials, coaches, managers etc to subject themselves to an inquiry by the Delhi Police and place any related material information in their possession without fear or favour.”

The BCCI Secretary has said that through the Sports Ministry, the Government was being requested to provide proper security to all those who wished to disclose any information to the investigating agencies.

The offer for help notwithstanding, it is evident that fur is flying between the current and former BCCI bosses. Lele’s letter to the Minister refers to allegations made by Bindra on TV about Jyoti Bajpai, D V Subba Rao and Brijesh Patel (former managers of the cricket team) and Madan Lal (former coach) who apparently had mentioned names of some cricketers for involvement in betting and match-fixing in their tour report.

Lele’s four-page letter states, “From the various media statements, it appears that Mr Bindra and Mr Sunil Dev (a former Vice President), have considerable information on betting/match-fixing. Although neither Mr Bindra nor Mr Dev had shared such information with other members of the Board, we are requesting the concerned gentlemen to come forward and disclose such information to the police authorities.”

Letters dated April 21 have also been sent to Dungarpur and Bindra by BCCI President Dr A C Muthiah. Bindra has been told that according to BCCI regulations, all managers and coaches were required to submit their confidential reports to the President. “In view of the allegations made by you in the Press and in television programmes, we wish to forward copies of the reports of the managers and the coach referred by you to the Sports Ministry and the Delhi Police…”

Muthia’s letter recalls that D V Subba Rao and Brijesh Patel were managers of the team and Madan Lal the coach when Dungarpur was BCCI President; Jyoti Bajpai was the manager of the team for the Australian Cup in Sharjah in 1994 when Bindra was the President. The tour reports of all these team officials are now required as evidence in the match-fixing case.

On related allegations made by Bindra about his having reprimanded three Indian cricketers for their alleged involvement in match-fixing and about a former Secretary of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) mentioning that the game between India and New Zealand at Sharjah was “fixed”, Lele again feigns ignorance. “Our Board has no knowledge of the incidents referred to by Mr Bindra. If however, there is any truth, Mr Bindra had never shared the same with other members of the Board,” his letter states categorically.

Along with copies of the letters sent to Bindra and Muthiah, the BCCI has annexed copies of letters they had sent in 1997 to Manoj Prabhakar and Sachin Tendulkar. Lele says it was these very allegations which led to the Y V Chandrachud inquiry, which concluded that there was no substance in them. “Subsequently, no new incident or allegation was brought before our Board to necessitate any further inquiry,” Lele has informed.