Bihar cricket officials to gherao Jagmohan Dalmiya’s house
The protest is directed at BCCI’s indifference to Bihar cricketers
Patna: Cricketers and officials of Bihar decided to gherao BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya's house in Kolkata on July 25 in support of demand for according full membership to the state in the apex cricket body.
The protest programme would be hosted under banner of Bihar Players Assocation (BPA), BPA President Mritunjay Tiwari said in a statement.
The gherao is to protest BCCI "apathetic" attitude towards Bihar cricket, Tiwari said.
Protest was organised outside residence of BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur in Delhi on June 12 last and had also sat on dharna at Jantar Mantar on that day.
Tiwari said Bihar cricketers’ bad days started following separation of Jharkhand from the state 14 years back in 2000. BCCI had snatched full membership from Bihar and gave it to Jharkhand. Bihar was given status of associate membership in 2008 which has was not renewed after 2011, Tiwari said.
"It's the duty of the BCCI to re-start cricket in the state. The Board cannot deny its responsibility. I had sent a letter on the current state of Bihar cricket to the BCCI chief on July 7 and urged him intervene in the matter," Tiwari said. BPA members would organise cricket panchayat in every district before demonstrating before BCCI chief's resident on July 25, Tiwari said.
Present East Zone selector Saba Karim and a host of other cricketers like Avinash Kumar and Amikar Dayal hail from Bihar.