New Delhi: Former India pacer Amit Bhandari, who is chairman of the DDCA senior selection committee, was Monday assaulted by a group of unidentified men during the under-23 team’s trials at St Stephen’s ground here.
Bhandari sustained head and ear injuries and was taken to Sant Paramanand Hospital at Civil Lines by his colleague Sukhvinder Singh. The goons fled the spot before the police could reach. Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) president Rajat Sharma told this agency that guilty will not be spared.
“We are trying to procure all details of the incident. As far as I have come to know, it is regarding one disgruntled player, who didn’t make it to the probables list for the national U-23 tournament,” stated Sharma.
“The SHO from the local police station has reached the Stephen’s ground and I have personally spoken to Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik. The guilty will not go unpunished. I promise exemplary action against whoever is found involved in this misdeed. We will register an FIR,” Sharma added.
Delhi’s senior and u-23 team manager Shankar Saini narrated the incident and said: “Bhandari along with other selectors and senior team coach Mithun Manhas was watching the probables play a trial match. A couple of men first came and there were heated exchanges between Bhandari and them. They left and before we could gather our thoughts, suddenly some 15 men armed with hockey sticks, rods and cycle chains came charging.
“When the other boys 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 hit Bhandari with hockey sticks and rods and he sustained head a injury.”
Saini said only after Bhandari gives a statement more details about the incident will come out.
Delhi cricket has always been mired in corruption charges and allegations of dubious selections at the various age-group levels have surfaced time and again.
PTI
