Anonymous letter ruffles feathers at CAB, irks Ganguly
Kolkata, Aug 9 : An anonymous letter has triggered a war words between Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) ombudsman Ushanath Banerjee and state board President Sourav Ganguly over alleged conflict of interest of selectors Palash Nandy and Madan Ghosh.
Banerjee had received an anonymous letter a few days back which pointed out that senior selection panel chief Nandy was associated with a cricket coaching camp.
Further, it alleged that Ghosh, who moved from the senior to junior selection recently was both associated with a coaching camp and had also represented White Border Club in CAB meetings previously.
"The CAB had done nothing about it for a long time. For the pair, it was business as usual till the letter came and stirred a hornet's nest," a source close to the development said.
Ganguly shot off a letter, a copy of which was circulated to the media, asking Banerjee not to pay heed to such cases since the complainant did not reveal his or her identity.
"The Cricket Association of Bengal will not entertain any such anonymous communication and as such you being an important part of the organisation should follow the same. I feel you are not entitled to give any reply," Ganguly wrote.
Banerjee hit back within hours using strong language. The four-page rejoinder was also circulated to the media.
Banerjee rejected the former India captain's diktat, saying: "it is widely acknowledged that in the interest of maintaining transparency, organisations world over take cognizance of anonymous information."
To butress his point, he cited in the letter examples of cases where the judiciary has acted on the basis of anonymous information.
"You have been incorrectly advised by persons without any homework being done and based on mere knowledge in the subject matter in issue," Banerjee wrote to Ganguly.
"I humbly request you to kindly point out the said policy of CAB, as referred in your letter, and the date when so adopted," the reply read.
When contacted, the senior advocate gave an impression that the issue had been resolved but did not want to be quoted on any further action.
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Telangana govt forms panel to resolve 400-acre land parcel issue
Hyderabad, Apr 4 (PTI): The Telangana government on Thursday decided to constitute a committee of ministers to engage in discussions with the University of Hyderabad (UoH) executive committee, civil society groups, students, and other stakeholders to address and find a solution regarding the land parcel adjacent to the varsity.
In a post on X, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said the committee comprises Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu, both alumni of UoH, and state Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy.
The constitution of the committee comes after the Supreme Court directed the Telangana government to provide an explanation for the "compelling urgency" behind clearing a substantial tree cover on a land parcel adjacent to the university.
The court has also issued a stay on any further activities until further notice.
Meanwhile, UoH students, who have been protesting against the state's plan to develop the 400-acre land parcel welcomed the Supreme Court's ruling.
UoH Students Union president Umesh Ambedkar said the union would persist in its fight until the proposed plan to auction the land is scrapped and the entire 400-acre parcel is officially registered in the university's name.
He mentioned that the form of struggle is currently being finalised.
Earlier in the day, the UoH Students Union held a relay hunger strike to protest the issue.
The opposition BRS and BJP, which have strongly opposed the state government’s move to develop IT infrastructure on the 400 acres of land, welcomed the Supreme Court’s stay on the matter.
"We welcome the verdict of the Honorable Supreme Court imposing a stay on the environmental destruction being carried out by the Telangana government in the Kancha Gachibowli area of Hyderabad,” Telangana BJP chief and Union Minister G Kishan Reddy said in the national capital.
Meanwhile, a complaint was lodged at Gachibowli police station, accusing those linked to the BRS IT cell of using the party's social media handle to conspire, create, post and circulate "misleading" content on various social media platforms.
The complainant alleged that this content was maliciously intended to cause public unrest and provoke the student community and agitating groups to breach public peace by morphing photos and videos related to the University land with unverified information.
The complaint further alleged that the edited clips were widely circulated on various social media platforms, leading to a "misrepresentation" carried out by the BRS party members, office bearers and supporters.
Based on the complaint, a case was registered under relevant sections of the BNS against the BRS IT cell incharges and others and investigation is underway, police said.
