The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Wednesday slapped journalist Boria Majumdar with a two-year ban for bullying India wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha.
Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Saha had revealed in February how he was threatened by a journalist after turning down an interview request.
A BCCI Committee comprising BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla, treasure Arun Singh Dhumal, and councillor Prabhtej Singh Bhatia found Majumdar guilty of 'threat and intimidation'.
"The Board of Control for Cricket in India had taken cognizance of this incident and deemed it necessary to investigate and probe the matter to avoid the recurrence of such instances with other players," BCCI interim CEO Hemang Amin said in his letter to the members.
"The key issue for deliberation for the BCCI Committee in the matter was to ascertain if the messages sent by the journalist were in the nature of threat and intimidation. The BCCI Committee considered the submissions by both Saha and Majumdar and concluded that the actions by Majumdar were indeed in the nature of threat and intimidation," the letter added.
"The BCCI Committee recommended the following sanctions to the Apex Council of BCCI. The Apex Council of BCCI agreed with the recommendations of the BCCI Committee and imposed the following sanctions:
1). 2 (two) year ban on getting any accreditation as a member of the press in any of the cricket matches (domestic and international) in India.
2). 2 (two) year ban on getting any interview with any registered players in India.
3). 2 (two) year ban on access to any of BCCI and members associations owned cricket facilities."
'After all of my contributions to Indian cricket..this is what I face from a so called "Respected" journalist! This is where the journalism has gone,' Saha tweeted in February along with a screenshot of his chat with the journalist.
The journalist was miffed that Saha did not respond to his request for an interview.
'You did not call. Never again will I interview you. I don't take insults kindly. And I will remember this,' the journalist told the Bengal cricketer.
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