Kashmir Digits

J&K Cricket Association has accused Parvez Rasool of ‘stealing’ a pitch roller, asking him to return the roller or face “police action”.

In his reply, Rasool has denied ever having taken the roller, and has asked the administrators, “Is this the way to treat an international cricketer who has given life and soul to J&K cricket?”.

Brigadier (retd) Anil Gupta, a BJP spokesperson who is on the three-member sub-committee appointed by the Indian cricket board to run JKCA, has written an email asking whosoever has taken JKCA machinery from Srinagar to return it.

“We have not only written to Parvez Rasool but to all district associations and whosoever has taken JKCA machinery from Srinagar.
Machinery was distributed at district associations without any vouchers. In many districts where we don’t have a mailing address, the letter was sent to the concerned person whose name was registered with us. He (Rasool) took offence to why the mail was written to him,” Gupta told The Indian Express.

Victimization?

However, the cricketer says he feels “victimized” and wants the Indian cricket board to “intervene now” before things get out of hand.

“They said police action will be taken. Then in the mail, they said, do we have enough proof to nail him down. Does that mean you have come here to nail me down? Their intention looks different,” Rasool, the lone J&K player to represent the Indian team, told this paper on Friday.

The 32-year-old all-rounder stated he got even more upset when one of the officials wrote on a social website that Rasool needs to be given a longer rope so that he hangs himself. As per Rasool, the official deleted his comment later.

“The official deleted it but I have the screenshot of it. Can anyone tell me what wrong I have done that I need to be hanged? If you have any doubts, they have my phone number, they can call me. It took mere seconds to clarify but it seems they wanted to victimize me,” he explains.