Sports

"I Passed On All The Information To Madhavrao Scindia In 1993"

In a hard-hitting interview with <b>Murali Krishnan</b> in Chennai, former revenue secretary <B>M.R. Sivaraman</B> explains the circumstances under which the DRI gave him the names of the cricketers.

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"I Passed On All The Information To Madhavrao Scindia In 1993"
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Can you recall the circumstances under which these conversations were recorded?
I was taking a lot of interest in criminal activities at my personal risk. Agencies reporting to me, such as the dri, used to inform me on everything they considered important. In the course of their investigations and intelligence gathering, they came across conversations between two people which sounded like bookies involved in criminal activity. Names of these cricketers figured. Some of the dri officials had in fact not gauged the importance of these conversations.

Then what happened?
In 1993, they (the dri officials) asked me to have a look, though it was away from the revenue department’s brief. It appeared to me that something fishy was going on. I knew it was something to do with cricket matches and I took an interest because it had something to do with national pride. The officials did not have an idea of the money involved or how cricketers were involved.

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What did you do then?
I passed it on to (then bcci president) Madhavrao Scindia, whom I have known for 35 years. (Scindia in a letter to Outlook denies having received anything from Sivaraman or having met him in this connection.) I know him from the time he was 25 years old. So I walked into his room and I had a long talk with him about these conversations. Though I did not have documentary evidence, I asked him to have a look at it.

What was the nature of the conversation which the dri recorded?
I cannot exactly recall, except that there was talk of match-fixing and money was involved. Nothing specific about which match or the exact sum. The players’ names were being thrown in. Obviously, it was important. That was why I was informed and kept in the picture as it looked as though it affected the country.

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What was Scindia’s reaction?
At that time, he was taken aback. He never anticipated such a thing could happen. He might have passed it on to somebody else and might not have considered it extraordinary as these conversations were not backed by documentary evidence.

But why did you pass it on to the bcci president when the dri could have followed it up?
We are often accused of poking our nose in other peoples’ affairs. Normally, the dri limits itself to the laws addressed by the revenue department. If we have information on terrorist activity or smuggling of weapons, we pass it on to the police so they can take action. Similarly, in this case when we were unsure if it was a fera violation or the exact quantum of monies, I passed it on to the bcci instead of creating a rumpus.

Did Scindia get back to you on this matter?
No, neither did I. Thereafter, nobody informed me either if there was any progress on this. Obviously, something was going on...

Do these conversations exist?
They (the tapes) could be at the dri headquarters.

What are your views on match-fixing charges against the players?
All state governments have their own gambling laws and action can be initiated. If these players have been stashing away money abroad, as they seem to have done, they have violated fera as well as income-tax laws. But more importantly, they have hurt the nation’s pride by fixing a match. A sporting arena is as good as a battlefield. The public has been fooled by these players making money out of these matches.

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Why was this wealth of information against the players not used?
The bcci could have immediately taken up the issue with the players. They could have been warned, saying they were playing for the country and being sufficiently paid. But that did not happen. Cricket in this country is a religion and if players, whom people consider icons, throw away matches, they have caused great damage.

So is it the fault of the bcci?
Primarily, the bcci is at fault. They should have never allowed our cricketers to pose as cinema stars and be part of huge advertising campaigns. That has changed their (the players’) attitude. Let the bcci give more money to players. There is no national pride because players are making money on the side.

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Haven’t these charges against players harmed India’s image?
Of course. It has harmed India. Bookies getting involved in the game shows that Indians are in the thick of the racket.

What should the bcci or the government do now?
Though I know (current bcci president) A.C. Muthiah, I do not want to talk to him as these are matters away from my field. The officials should put their heads together and stop cricketers from getting into monetary rackets including playing for advertisements. Big corporates are also to blame as players are playing for them instead of the country.

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