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Maoists? Local rivalry? Hoax?

Published

10 years ago

January 10, 2017

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Sourav death threat has cops in tizzy

By Sujit Bhar

There is a possibility that this could be a hoax. That does not reduce the seriousness of the death threat issued to former India captain and Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Sourav Ganguly on January 7 (Saturday).

Sourav is scheduled to travel to the district of Midnapore to attend a felicitation ceremony as chief guest at an inter-college cricket meet at the Vidyasagar University there on January 19.

Sourav told reporters after the CAB’s working committee meeting in Kolkata on January 9 (Monday): “Yes I’ve received the letter on January 7 and I’ve informed this to the police and the organisers. ‎Let’s see, nothing has been decided yet but it will be a live show programme and you all will come to know if I go there.”

The letter, signed by one Z Alam, was couriered to Sourav’s mother Nirupa, reports say. According to a source quoted in the media the letter said: ‎”Your son is hereby warned not to attend the programme. If he dares to come here, you will not see him again.”

While he has not yet decided if he should go to the felicitation, the situation remains fluid. Kolkata’s joint commissioner of police (crime) has been quoted as saying that he has “got nothing so far” on the issue.

Sources have been quoted as saying that this probably is a local rivalry issue to show the organisers in poor light and should not be taken too seriously. There is, however, another school of thought that says that Maoists may be behind this. Certain areas of Midnapore district are Maoist-infested and Sourav’s proximity to the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress administration in the state could have drawn their ire. That could be a serious issue.

Maoists have been the bane of consecutive administrations in the state. Former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s (of the CPI-M) motorcade was ambushed in the Salboni area of West Midnapore in November 2008. Also in the motorcade were the then Union ministers Jitin Prasad and Ram Vilas Paswan.

It was an IED blast that snapped a high tension electric wire. An accompanying police car was riddled with shrapnel and pellets, injuring six policemen. The chief minister escaped without injury.

When Mamata came to power she tried her hand at making a deal with the Maoists, but failed. This irked her so much that Maoist outfits have all become anathema to her. This situation has not eased.

However, this is not the first time that Sourav has received threats.

In late-September and early October of 2008 he had received two letters (with a gap of a month) threatening to kidnap his daughter Sana, who was then seven years old, if a ransom of Rs 2 crore wasn’t paid.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had said then that two letters were received by the family, one hand-delivered (dropped into the letterbox, because it bore no postal mark) the other sent via Speed Post from a post office near the main business district of the city, Esplanade. The letters were addressed to Sourav’s wife Dona.

The first letter did not worry the family—they were abroad at the time—but the second letter was taken seriously. CID sources had said that the letters could have come from the banned Indian Mujahideen group, but nothing much had come off it and the incident was forgotten.

Image courtesy: BCCI[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Cricket news

India beat Pakistan by 19 runs to win Asian Games cricket gold

India beat Pakistan by 19 runs in the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket final to retain the gold medal in the competition.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 3, 2026

APNLive Desk

India defeated Pakistan by 19 runs in the men’s cricket final at the Asian Games 2026 on Saturday to retain the gold medal.

India posted 211 for six after being sent in to bat, before restricting Pakistan to 192 for six in their 20 overs. The victory gave India their second successive Asian Games gold medal in men’s cricket.

India post 211 in final

India’s batting was led by Abhishek Sharma, who scored 61 off 28 balls, while Tilak Varma contributed 51 off 22 balls.

The two batters provided the momentum as India reached 211 for six from their 20 overs.

India captain Shreyas Iyer had won the toss and elected to bat first in the final.

Pakistan fall 19 runs short

Pakistan’s chase was anchored by Hasan Nawaz, who made 96 from 51 balls. Saim Ayub added 29 from 22 balls, but Pakistan finished on 192 for six after 20 overs.

India’s Axar Patel and Washington Sundar each took two wickets as Pakistan fell short of the target.

The result secured the gold medal for India, while Pakistan finished with silver. Sri Lanka won the bronze medal after defeating Bangladesh in the bronze-medal match.

India retain Asian Games cricket title

The victory marked India’s second consecutive men’s cricket gold medal at the Asian Games. India had also won the men’s cricket gold at the Hangzhou edition.

India’s victory over Pakistan also completed a gold-medal double for the country in cricket at the 2026 Asian Games, after the women’s team won the women’s cricket final earlier in the competition.

India News

MK Stalin attacks Vijay government over hindi signboard in Tamil Nadu

MK Stalin criticised the Tamil Nadu government over Hindi lettering on a State Highway signboard and warned the Vijay-led administration against interfering with the state’s two-language policy.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 2, 2026

APNLive Desk

The use of Hindi on a highway signboard in Tamil Nadu has triggered a political row, with DMK chief MK Stalin criticising the Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government over the issue.

The controversy centres on a State Highway signboard that displayed place names in Tamil, English and Hindi. The board was installed on the Alwarthirunagari-Valliyoor State Highway 93 route through Sathankulam in Thoothukudi district.

Stalin objected to the inclusion of Hindi, saying Tamil Nadu has long opposed what he described as attempts to impose Hindi and warning the state government against altering its established two-language policy.

He questioned whether the use of Hindi on the signboard represented the kind of change promised by the TVK government. Stalin also urged the administration not to interfere with Tamil Nadu’s language policy.

Hindi removed from signboard

Following the controversy, the Hindi lettering was removed from the signboard. The state government also suspended two officials from the Highways Department over the matter and initiated departmental action against them.

According to officials, the Assistant Divisional Engineer and Assistant Engineer associated with the project had failed to inform higher authorities about the inclusion of Hindi on the board.

The Tamil Nadu government has said that the use of Hindi on the State Highways Department signboard was against the state’s two-language policy and warned that strict action would be taken against officials violating the policy.

Stalin targets Vijay government

Stalin also stepped up his criticism of the TVK administration, describing it as a “Reels government” and alleging that it was responding to social media trends involving influencers from northern states.

His comments came amid a wider political debate in Tamil Nadu over the state’s established Tamil-English two-language policy and the use of Hindi in government-related signage.

The latest controversy has therefore brought the language policy issue back into focus, with the DMK questioning the TVK government’s handling of the Hindi signboard and the state administration taking action against the officials concerned.

MK Stalin has criticised the Vijay-led Tamil Nadu government over Hindi appearing on a State Highway signboard. The Hindi lettering was later removed, while two Highways Department officials were suspended and departmental action was initiated.

Cricket news

Jasprit Bumrah becomes first Indian to play T20Is in 13 countries

Jasprit Bumrah became the first Indian to play T20I cricket in 13 different countries after featuring against Sri Lanka in Japan.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 1, 2026

APNLive Desk

Jasprit Bumrah added another milestone to his international career on Thursday after taking the field for India against Sri Lanka in the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket semifinal in Japan.

Bumrah’s appearance at Nishin made him the first Indian to play T20I cricket in 13 different countries, according to the report. He moved ahead of former India captains Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who have each played T20Is in 12 countries.

Bumrah’s 13-country T20I record

Before playing in Japan, Bumrah had represented India in T20Is in 12 other countries — India, Australia, Bangladesh, England, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the UAE, the United States, West Indies and Zimbabwe.

His appearance in Japan took the tally to 13. Kohli, Rohit and Bhuvneshwar had played in all of those countries except Japan, leaving Bumrah alone at the top of the list.

Kohli and Rohit cannot add to their totals as both have retired from T20I cricket, according to the source.

Bumrah shines against Sri Lanka

Bumrah also made an immediate impact in his first T20I appearance in Japan. He claimed two wickets in his opening over against Sri Lanka and finished with figures of 2/7 in two overs.

India went on to dismiss Sri Lanka for 45 in 9.5 overs and won the semifinal by 124 runs to book a place in the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket final.

The result set up an India-Pakistan gold-medal clash, scheduled for October 3.

Jasprit Bumrah has become the first Indian to play T20I cricket in 13 different countries. His appearance against Sri Lanka in Japan took him past Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who have played T20Is in 12 countries each.