Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) Chief selector Amit Bhandari was, on Monday, assaulted by an aspiring cricketer and 14 of his accomplices after he was not selected for a cricket tournament, a senior police officer said, adding the accused has been arrested.
Anuj Dheda, who was not selected in the state team, attacked Bhandari, who sustained head and ear injuries and was taken to Sant Paramanand Hospital at Civil Lines by his colleague Sukhvinder Singh.
The goons along with the player in question fled before the cops could reach the spot but was later arrested.
"At around 1.15 pm today at St Stephen ground where trials were going on, one person Anuj Dheda, who was not selected, came and asked about his rejection and slapped Bhandari. Some 10-15 more boys came and hit him," Nupur Prasad, Deputy Commissioner of Police (north) said.
"Based on the complaint, a case has been registered and the accused and his brother Naresh were arrested," the DCP said.
Dedha's name featured in the initial 79-member list, released by the DDCA in November for the U-23 trials. His date of birth is November 22, 1995.
Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) president Rajat Sharma told PTI that guilty will not be spared.
"I have personally spoken to the Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik. The guilty will not go unpunished. We will register an FIR," Sharma said.
Sharma, who went to meet Bhandari at the hospital said, "The goons were pressurising him to select a player, who had failed to get into the U-23 team on merit. Bhandari claimed that the one man also threatened him with a revolver. This is shameful that an honest selector was being prevented from performing his duties.”
Former India batman Virender Sehwag demanded strict action.
"The attack on Delhi selector Amit Bhandari for not picking a player is a new low and I am hopeful that stringent action will be taken against the culprit and adequate measures will be taken to avoid such incidents,' Sehwag tweeted.
Former India opener and Delhi legend Gautam Gambhir said a life ban should be handed to the guilty.
"Disgusted to see this happen right in heart of the capital. This can't slip under the carpet and I will personally ensure it does not," he tweeted.
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