Date:24/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/24/stories/2008092456432000.htm

Sport - Cricket

Clubs stage sit-in at KCA complex

Special Correspondent

— Photo: S. Gopakumar

TAKING IT TO THE STREETS: The cricketers from four clubs from Alappuzha stage a dharna in front of the KCA complex.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The internal bickering within the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) once again came into the open with cricketers of four clubs from Alappuzha district staging a sit-in at the KCA complex here on Tuesday.

The action which took the KCA top brass by surprise demanded the immediate revocation of the suspension imposed on these clubs by the Alappuzha DCA, allegedly as part of the ongoing power struggle within the State association.

Over 30 cricketers took part in the dharna which went on for an hour from 1 p.m. until they were arrested and removed by the police. They were let off around 3.30 p.m.

Speaking to the media, the secretaries of the four clubs said they were forced to undertake such an extreme step as complaints regarding the intervention of the KCA top brass in the affairs of the Alappuzha DCA and eventual suspension of their clubs through unfair means had fallen on deaf ears.

Tracing the events that led to the impasse, they alleged that the KCA secretary, T.C. Mathew had acted in a partisan way so as to topple a democratically elected Alappuzha DCA and install a new set-up using the brute majority that he enjoyed within the KCA central council.

Nothing wrong

Earlier, an enquiry instituted by the KCA itself had found nothing wrong in the conduct of the day-to-day affairs of the Alappuzha DCA whose secretary, R. Sanal Kumar also served as one of the two assistant secretaries of the KCA. “Sadly, that report is yet to see the light of the day as its publication would reveal the unscrupulous methods adopted by the KCA in toppling the democratically-elected office-bearers of the DCA.

The suspension of our clubs was based on the fact that we stood by R. Sanal Kumar and supported him to bring to light the massive corruption that has been going on in the KCA for sometime now,” they said.

Producing documents to show that the KCA secretary had acted in a partisan manner, they cited an affidavit filed by Mr. Mathew in a Alappuzha court earlier this year stating that U. Manoj (who was elected secretary in 2005 but resigned the next year) was the Alappuzha DCA secretary according to the KCA records much against the fact that R. Sanal Kumar had been elected secretary in 2006 itself and was attending the KCA central council meeting in that capacity since then.

They said while the KCA constitution gave the clubs the sole right to elect office-bearers of their respective district cricket associations, the decision of the April 6, 2008, meeting of the KCA central council to install a new set of office-bearers in the Alappuzha DCA was clearly unlawful.

The secretaries who briefed the media included S. Muraleekrishnan (Escorts CC), G. Vijayakumar (Mankombu CC), Pradeep (Skylark CC) and Rojin Saha (Haripad YCC).

Later, they also called on the Sports Minister, M. Vijayakumar and the Kerala State Sports Council president, T.P. Dasan and submitted a memorandum seeking the Government intervention into the matter.