An FIR was lodged in Palamu against five persons for attempting to organise a cricket match amid restrictions in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic, police said. Prompt action by the local administration, however, led to abandonment of the match well before the batsmen padded up and the ball hit the pitch, they added.
Palamu Superintendent of Police Ajay Linda said the Chainpur police have lodged an FIR against five named accused and scores of others for this cricketing event which could not be held.
Linda said there is an embargo on holding such events like cricket match, football match, volley ball match, chess match etc. This cricket match was to be played between two teams of Palamu and Garhwa, and a huge crowd of spectators violated social distancing norms to witness the game.
Sources said Chainpur police have made some seizures like wickets, bats etc. Officer in charge of Chainpur police station Sunit Kumar said, “We are trying to find out as to who were the people behind this event as we have named five accused of this event.”
Sources said the Daltonganj BJP MLA Alok Chourasia is in the eye of the storm as his political adversaries are charging him with arranging this cricket match where social distancing was given a full toss by a very large gathering of spectators who had lined up there for this cricket match that did not start even.
MLA Chourasia has pooh-poohed the allegation against him saying, “This is a murky dirty game of some people belonging to a particular caste who always drag my name in anything that they think does them good.”
The MLA said the play ground is almost near Kinni and he lives 3 kms away from there at Majhagawan village and big of all he said, “I never knew there was any event arranged at Pathra High School ground. I have no role in this match even by any stretch of imagination.”
The BJP MLA said, “I refute all baseless and unfounded allegations against me where I am being linked to this event with a political dirtiness.”
DC Palamu Shantanu Kumar Agrahari, taking a serious note of this event telephoned MLA Chourasia and wanted to know if the MLA had had any role in it. “DC Agrahari telephoned me and inquired about this event. I told him I have no role in it. I also asked him to get it thoroughly inquired into.”