Wounds of April 6, 2001 yet to heal for Goan cricket lovers

On Sunday October 25 2010, India and Australia play each other at Nehru stadium in the last match of the three-match rain-affected One Day International series, which India leads 1-0. The India-Australia match at Margao stadium will be opening old wounds for many die-hard spectators of April 6, 2001.

The wounds have healed but the insult and injuries are still fresh, says Mohammed owner of Janta Hotel of Station road Margao. On April 6, 2001, India not only lost the ODI cricket match, but also the series to Australia at Nehru stadium. But that was the not the only thing that happened that day in the tourist haven. The former Portuguese colony lost its face on account of the fake ticket scam, which rocked the match.

Mohammed was one of the spectators who was cane charged by the police on that fateful date. He had a valid ticket for the match, but he along with 15,000 other spectators was denied entry inside the oversold stadium.

Almost ten years down the line the spectators who were battered by the police are still awaiting justice. The deliverance of justice is a slow and painful process in India. The judicial system in Goa too is bogged down by the pilling up of both of civil and criminal cases.

The charge sheet filed in the court says that the then three officials of Goa Cricket Association (GCA) conspired with the ticket contractor for sale of tickets beyond its capacity of 27,000.

Police investigated the fake ticket case and the charge sheet by Margao police was filed on July 5, 2001. The police in support of its case have cited around 220 witnesses and the charge sheet runs into around 550 pages.

Among the persons pulled for wrongdoing and charge sheet in the case was until recently the former Law Minister of the provincial government. Dayanand Narvekar vice-president of Board of Cricket Control of India (BCCI) who is now the president of GCA was the head of GCA when the ticket-gate scandal happened.

The police on its part had chargesheeted the GCA office bearers and others involved with two different cases in the Margao courts. One of the cases ended in acquittal of all the accused while the other case is still pending.

In the first case, only four office bearers of GCA President Narvekar, treasurer Rama Shankar Das, secretary Vinod alias Babu Phadke and joint secretary Vivek Pednekar, all were charged with sections 143, 147, 148, 149 and 336. The charges on the GCA office bearers were related to negligence and endangering the life of the spectators by printing tickets exceeding the capacity of the stadium

All the charges fell flat in the JMFC court and the court acquitted all the four office bearers.

In the second case all together nine persons have been charge sheeted and the case has seen more than five judges hearing of the case.

Narvekar, Das, Pednekar, Chinimay Falari, Devdutt Falari, Joaquim Pires, Gangaram Bhise, Venkat Raut Dessai and Eknath Naik are the nine accused in the second case. The sections applied were 468, 465, 471 and 420 read with 120 (B) Indian Penal Code, which deal with cheating and criminal conspiracy.

Amongst a host of charges, the police has alleged that Narvekar, Shankardas and Phadke, being members of the GCA tender committee allegedly conspired with ticket contractor, Chinmay Fallari in printing fake tickets.

While the spectators of the April 6, 2001 went home carrying injuries from police lathi charge, they are in with hope that persons who forced upon them the injuries and cheated them are quickly punished.

They have waited for long. Hopefully the wait will come to an end with everyone getting justice.

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