The simmering tension between former Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Avishek Dalmiya and the current Sourav Ganguly-led establishment came out into the open on Wednesday, with the state cricket body's top brass issuing a strongly-worded rebuttal to allegations of corruption and governance failures barely three months before its annual general meeting.
In a three-page letter to West Bengal Sports Minister Dr Indranil Khan, CAB rejected what it termed as "generalised apprehensions" about corruption, lack of transparency and "systemic rot", four days after Avishek had sought investigation by a state-run Sports Integrity and Anti-Corruption Helpline into the complaints of malpractice The CAB letter, signed by Ganguly, secretary Bablu Kolay and other office-bearers, defended the association's governance structure and questioned Avishek's decision to take the matter to public instead of approaching existing institutional mechanisms.
The letter also highlighted Ganguly's administrative and cricketing credentials, noting that he had served as India captain, CAB president, BCCI president and chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee and yet "has never faced a single line of allegation against his integrity." CAB argued that Avishek had "bypassed" this mechanism despite being fully aware of it during his own tenure as secretary and president. The exchange assumes significance as it comes ahead of the September AGM, where alignments within Bengal cricket are once again under scrutiny.
Avishek was widely expected to challenge the Ganguly camp at last year's AGM before stepping aside at the last moment, paving the way for Snehasish Ganguly's unopposed election following a rapprochement between the rival factions. Responding to Avishek's concerns, CAB said allegations of corruption and governance failures did not reflect the reality of the association.
The apprehensions expressed regarding "corruption, systemic rot, selection integrity" and lack of transparency do not accurately reflect the functioning of the Cricket Association of Bengal, the letter stated. The association said over the past three decades, under administrators including B.N. Dutt, Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sourav Ganguly and Avishek Dalmiya himself, "no such allegations of systemic rot had ever been cast upon this institution." "It is therefore surprising that the recent communication appears to portray that, except during his own tenure, discrepancies have existed across other administrations," the letter stated. "To suggest that everything was functioning correctly only during one specific tenure and flawed during all others is untenable."
The association went a step further, saying: "To generalise wrongdoing or cast sweeping assumptions over the majority of them is a complete misrepresentation of facts and deeply disregards their earnest efforts and intent. No past President or Secretary of the CAB has ever issued a public letter of this nature, and it has come as a great surprise to everyone within the association."
A key point of CAB's defence was the existence of an independent Ombudsman and Ethics Officer mechanism mandated under the Supreme Court-approved Lodha reforms. The association pointed out that former Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Jyotirmay Bhattacharya has been serving as CAB's Ombudsman and Ethics Officer and that all stakeholders are free to approach him with evidence-backed complaints. "Any complaint brought before the forum is treated with the highest degree of legal sanctity, impartiality, and transparency, entirely free from the interference of current office bearers," the letter said. "Given that a retired Chief Justice of the High Court heads this apex integrity mechanism within our constitution, bypassing this established judicial forum via open public letters appears to be an attempt to publicize sports governance issues rather than addressing genuine concerns through proper legal channels." "It is particularly ironical when such communications emanate from a past administrator who has been intimately familiar with these institutional mechanisms during his respective own tenures as Secretary and President up until 2022 and in fact, the said administrator has never complained with regards to any irregularities of CAB from 2022 till date."
In perhaps its sharpest observation, the association urged the minister to examine the timing of Avishek's intervention. "Given the significant timing of this communication, the Ministry's good office should critically examine why the sender bypassed robust internal forums to drive a public narrative." CAB also invited Sports Minister Khan to visit the association and interact with its 140 members to understand its functioning first-hand. Avishek, in his June 13 letter, had urged the government to establish a confidential reporting mechanism for athletes, coaches, parents, officials and whistle-blowers to report corruption, coercion, favouritism, eligibility fraud and financial irregularities. The former CAB chief's letter came against the backdrop of a complaint against CAB committee member Ambarish Mitra, who has denied any wrongdoing.
Without naming Mitra, Avishek referred to allegations that money had been collected from cricketers and their representatives in exchange for opportunities in teams and clubs and called for complaints to be investigated "promptly, fairly and transparently". CAB, however, maintained that the existing Ombudsman mechanism was adequate for addressing such complaints and reiterated its faith in the current system. "We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to absolute transparency, accountability, and the holistic development of cricket in West Bengal," the association said. "Our primary objective is to assure your good office that the dreams and aspirations of our state's youth are protected by a robust, independent, and legally mandated administrative framework."