HPCA investigations problematic for officials kids

The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) on Thursday expressed gratefulness to the new state government for ordering a withdrawal of ‘all cases filed under political vendetta’ against the cricket body. The HPCA was having a troublesome time during the reign of the Congress. It has come as a huge relief for the elder son of former Bharatiya Janata Party MP P K Dhumal, MP Anurag Thakur and other office-bearers of the association, according to sources.

As per Sanjay Sharma, spokesperson of the association admitted that the Congress had prepared a 53-point charge sheet but it acted on only 18 of those related to the HPCA, P K Dhumal and his close aides. “The Congress had registered 5 cases against this cricket body. These were related to encroachment and land lease. The first FIR was registered in August 2013, alleging cheating, fraud and misappropriation of funds,” said Sanjay.

‘Even my kids were targeted during HPCA investigations’

Sanjay Sharma added that the officials also targeted his family members including his children in cases related to the HPCA. “Vigilance officials interrogated my children in their school. It was an embarrassing for me,” he further added to TOI.

According to him apart from Anurag Thakur, office holders of the HPCA including former chief minister Dhumal was also named in a case filed by the vigilance in August 2013. The cabinet of the state also took a decision to cancel the land lease to the stadium and ordered to take over the property of the stadium.

“It was murder of democracy when it took over the properties of the HPCA in midnight, immediately after their cabinet meeting on October 29, 2013. It was around 11.30pm when this action was taken,” he alleged. The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association(HPCA) stadium is one of the most picturesque stadiums in the world and it would have been humiliating for the office bearers to have been questioned. Even if the officials targeted the office bearers they should have strained themselves from interrogating the family members.