Chennai: A police officer and a few fringe groups are opposing season 11 of cash-rich IPL cricket. In a plea before the Madras high court, IPS officer G. Sampathkumar sought a stay on the league, slated to start on April 7, because of what he claims is lack of preventive measures and infrastructure to stop match fixing and betting.
A few fringe elements among Tamil groups protesting on the Cauvery issue are asking if matches should be held in Tamil Nadu at this time when the state is up in arms over the non-formation of the Cauvery Management Board.
The matches are expected to be played as scheduled even in the face of stray opposition in Tamil Nadu and elections in Karnataka. The MJK chief and sitting MLA M Thamimun Ansari asked if IPL matches were needed when “farmers are shedding tears and people are yearning for drinking water.”
Others supporting the call to stop the cricket in the State are the Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam, Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi (TVK), Viduthalai Thamizh Puligal Katchi, Thamizhar Vidiyal Katchi and Social Democratic Party of India, all of them minor groups with no major voice in state politics.
Once assigned to probe the betting and spot and match-fixing in the IPL five years ago, the police officer Sampathkumar has said in his plea, “Contrary to the Lodha Committee report, vested interests still continue to be protected in the IPL and the questions of conflict of interest remain unaddressed by the BCCI.”
While saying he did not want a ban on IPL, he accused the CID of the State police of trivialising match-fixing allegations and converting the case into an offence under the Gaming Act and letting it lie without investigating it deeply.
