Majumdar can’t interview players for 2 years, no access to stadiums: BCCI

PTI, May 4, 2022, 5:45 PM IST

The BCCI has imposed a two-year ban on Boria Majumdar for bullying senior wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha, barring the sports journalist from interviewing registered players and entering stadiums in the country.

Majumdar won’t be given media accreditation for two years as part of the sanctions ratified by the BCCI Apex Council. On February 25, the BCCI had formed a three-member committee to probe the threat messages given to Saha for declining an interview request.

While Saha had initially refused to name the journalist in a series of tweets on February 23, he later identified the journalist as Majumdar while deposing before the three-member committee, which comprised BCCI vice president Rajeev Shukla, BCCI treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal and BCCI councillor Prabhtej Singh Bhatia.

On May 3, BCCI interim CEO and IPL COO Hemang Amin in a letter to the state units wrote, ”Mr Wriddiman Saha has shared screenshots of messages sent by a journalist on social media platform, Twitter, wherein he stated that he felt bullied by the conduct of the said journalist. Mr Saha in the hearing named Mr Boria Majumdar as the journalist.” Amin further stated, “The BCCI Committee considered the submissions by both Mr Saha and Mr Majumdar and concluded that the actions by Mr Majumdar were indeed in the nature of threat and intimidation.” According to Amin, the said committee recommended three sanctions to the Apex Council, which were agreed and imposed on Majumdar.

The sanctions imposed are – 2 year ban on getting any accreditation as a member of the press in any of the cricket matches (domestic and international) in India, 2 year ban on getting any interview with any registered players in India and 2 years ban on access to any of the BCCI and member associations owned cricket facilities.

The top BCCI official has asked all the state units to facilitate the compliance of the sanctions in their respective associations.