Legendary cricketer Madhav Apte dies
Mumbai: Veteran cricketer Madhav Apte died after suffering a cardiac arrest here on Monday morning, a family member said. He was 86.
The former India and Mumbai opener was admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital where he breathed his last at 6.09 am, his son Vaman Apte told PTI. Madhav Apte played seven Tests in which he scored 542 runs, with a lone hundred and three fifties to his credit. His highest score was 163 not out.
He had a much better first class record where he scored 3,336 runs from 67 matches, including six hundreds and 16 fifties. His highest first class score was 165 not out.
He made his Test debut against Pakistan at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) in Mumbai in November 1952 and played his last test against West Indies at Kingston in April 1953.
In his debut Test, he made 30 and 10 not out, respectively.
He was the first Indian opener to aggregate over 400 runs in a Test series (460 runs against West Indies in 1953). He also captained Mumbai in domestic cricket.
Madhav Apte was assigned as the opening batsman by legendary Vinoo Mankad. He played along with several legendary cricketers, including Mankad, Polly Umrigar, Vijay Hazare and Rusi Modi.
He earlier also served as president of the iconic CCI, an official said. Till his last breath, he was president of the 'Legends Club', a group formed to celebrate the achievements of different sportspersons. Former Mumbai cricketer Shishir Hattangadi took to Twitter to offer his condolences.
"Another institution of Bombay and Mumbai Cricket comes to an end. RIP Madhav Rao Apte. Will treasure those long discussions with you cricket from your days!" he tweeted.
"Madhav Apte had a bag of stories. From Vinoo Mankad to his buddy Subhya Fergie Gupte. To listen to him was rewinding cricket history. Dignified affable yet accessible as senior. Passing Pedder Road and Woodland Apartments each time will bring back memories with a smile.#RIP, Hattangadi said in another tweet.
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Vinay Somaiah Suicide: BJP stages road blockade protest in Madikeri
Madikeri: The Kodagu district unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged a road blockade protest in Madikeri on Thursday, demanding the immediate arrest of those allegedly responsible for the suicide of party worker Vinay Somaiah.
BJP leaders and workers assembled at General Thimmaiah Circle in the heart of the city, raising slogans against the Congress party and the state government. The protestors specifically demanded action against a Congress spokesperson mentioned in a note Vinay reportedly left before his death.
Addressing the gathering, former Assembly Speaker K.G. Bopaiah expressed strong dissatisfaction with the government and the police. He said the FIR against Vinay originally stayed by the court was later revived under a different section by the police. “Vinay had merely posted about the unhygienic condition of the Napoklu public toilet. Instead of addressing the issue, an FIR was filed against him. This is unacceptable. The police seem to be functioning under the directions of Congress MLAs, disregarding even court orders,” he stated.
District BJP President Napanda Ravi Kalappa also criticized the police, saying Vinay had no direct connection to the original post and was wrongly targeted. “An innocent man has lost his life. Two MLAs in Kodagu district are misusing police power to suppress dissent. The FIR was registered under political pressure,” he alleged, further demanding that the two MLAs resign and cooperate with the investigation into Vinay's death.
The protest led to a road blockade that lasted for over an hour, significantly affecting traffic. Despite requests from police officers to clear the area, BJP workers insisted on the arrival of the District Superintendent of Police (SP) to address their concerns.
SP K. Ramarajan later arrived at the protest site and informed the protesters that since the incident occurred in Bengaluru, the investigation was being conducted by the police there.
He assured full cooperation from the Kodagu police in the ongoing probe. Following his assurance, the BJP workers dispersed peacefully.
District BJP General Secretary Mahesh Jaini, SC Morcha District President P.M. Ravi, Women’s Wing President Anita Poovaiah, and other key party functionaries including Suvin Ganapathy, Jagadish, Arun Shetty, municipal council members, and BJP office-bearers from across the district were present on the occasion.
