Pandya twists ankle, leaves India worried ahead of tough matches
Pune, (PTI): In a major injury scare for India, star all-rounder Hardik Pandya hobbled off the field after twisting his ankle while bowling his first over in a World Cup match against Bangladesh, here on Thursday.
Pandya suffered the injury during the third delivery of the ninth over when he attempted to stop a straight drive from Bangladesh opener Litton Das with his right foot in his follow-through.
He twisted his left ankle as the ball passed under his leg and he stumbled to the ground.
Pandya felt discomfort from the moment he stood up before getting his right ankle strapped, resulting in in a long delay. He hobbled towards his bowling mark before realising that he could not carry on and walked off the field.
Suryakumar Yadav came in as the substitute fielder.
Pandya did not take part in the remainder of the match and later went for scans.
India skipper Rohit Sharma said the all-rounder has not suffered any major injury but was non-committal on his participation in the next game on Sunday against New Zealand in Dharamsala.
"There is no major damage, that is good for us. But honestly with an injury like that, we have to assess every day and we hope that he pulls up well tomorrow morning and then we will do whatever is required," Rohit said after the match.
India and New Zealand are the two unbeaten teams in the World Cup with four wins each.
Pandya has been used as the first change option ahead of Shardul Thakur. With India's top order firing, Pandya has not had much to do at number six but his batting skills are as important as his seam bowling.
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UP Cong holds statewide protest seeking probe into FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand
Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday staged a statewide protest demanding a fair and transparent inquiry into the FIR lodged against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and those who filed the complaint against him.
In a statement issued here, the party said memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi were submitted through district magistrates in all districts of the state.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that the memorandums were handed over through the district administration in all 75 districts.
In the memorandum, the party alleged that Saraswati and his disciples were "unnecessarily harassed and humiliated" by police on the occasion of Amavasya and were prevented from taking a ritual bath (at the Magh Mela). It further alleged that some disciples were manhandled and taken to a police station.
The memorandum also claimed that an FIR was later registered against Saraswati, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari and several unidentified persons in a sexual harassment case. It termed the case a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing the seer's reputation.
Citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, the memorandum stated that these provisions guarantee religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.
It described the position of shankaracharya held by Saraswati as "one of the highest spiritual posts in Sanatan tradition" and alleged that the entire episode appeared to have been "orchestrated in a planned manner".
"We request that the background of the persons who got the FIR registered be investigated in a transparent manner by a retired high court judge and strict action be taken against them," the memorandum said.
It also sought a "fair and transparent probe" into the allegations levelled against Saraswati so that the truth could be established.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had told reporters in Varanasi after meeting Saraswati that the party stood firmly with him.
The Congress said it would continue to press for an impartial inquiry into the entire episode.
On February 21, an FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.
Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said on Monday that he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" would be exposed sooner or later.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Saraswati alleged that criminals rule in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.
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