|
Indian police have arrested the son-in-law of the country’s cricket chief in a spot-fixing probe as the government yesterday announced a new law to crack down on cheating in sport. |
Gurunath Meiyappan, part of the management team of Indian Premier League franchise Chennai Super Kings, was arrested by police in Mumbai late on Friday for allegedly betting on matches in connivance with bookies and a Bollywood actor who is already under arrest.
The development has also led to a clamour for the sacking of Meiyappan’s father-in-law, president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) N Srinivasan, who denied any wrongdoing and vowed to stay on.
“We interrogated (Meiyappan) and based on the information we have, we found his involvement in the offence. We have placed him under arrest,” Himanshu Roy, joint commissioner of police, told reporters.
Meiyappan appeared in court yesterday and was remanded to police custody for four days.
Reports in local newspapers said Meiyappan had placed bets on IPL matches through actor Vindu Dara Singh Randhawa, who was taken into custody earlier this week.
A statement from India Cements, owners of the Chennai franchise, sought to downplay Meiyappan’s role within the team. “Gurunath is only one of the members (honorary) of the management team of Chennai Super Kings. India Cements follows a zero tolerance policy and if anyone is proved guilty, strict action will be taken immediately,” the statement said.
Meiyappan had in the past been referred to as the chief executive of the team and actively participated in players’ auctions.
His arrest led to calls for the sacking of Srinivasan, who is also the managing director of India Cements, for holding offices which have a conflict of interest. “With this scandal breaking out and all the evidence emerging, his position has become untenable. He should go,” India’s Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath told reporters in New Delhi.
Srinivasan, however, insisted he was going nowhere. “I had no knowledge about Gurunath’s involvement. Everybody knows that I hardly watch a game, everyone knows that I do not go to CSK’s games,” he told the NDTV channel. “I have no intention to resign. I can’t be bulldozed or railroaded into resigning,” he added.
The spot-fixing scandal, which has caused outrage among fans, began when police arrested paceman S Sreesanth and two of his Rajasthan Royals teammates on May 16. The trio, who deny any wrongdoing, are accused of deliberately bowling badly in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars after striking deals with bookies.