Shillong, Jul 3: The Shillong Cricket Association has written rebuttals to two separate allegations made against the association and its President, Peter M Kharsawian, over how the latter was appointed to the last Meghalaya Cricket Association Apex Council and the SCA’s “attack” on a former player.
This is all part of a larger fight between two factions in the MCA, one led by its President James PK Sangma and the other by the Honorary Secretary Rayonald Kharkamni. The SCA, as one of the foremost district cricket associations in Meghalaya, has also been involved in the ongoing tussle that has been dominating headlines for several weeks now.
The former player in question is Mark Ingty, the senior-most state cricketer to have played first-class cricket. In the MCA’s fight, Ingty is apparently on the side of Sangma, while the SCA has moved into the Kharkamni camp.
Ingty has represented Assam (when the MCA was not yet a full member of the BCCI) and later Meghalaya and is highly respected among the cricketing fraternity. Ingty was put forward by the Indian Cricketers’ Association (ICA) as a players’ representative on the MCA Apex Council.
However, a query from the SCA forwarded through Kharkamni was submitted to the BCCI after it emerged that Ingty was already an office bearer of the Karbi Anglong District Cricket Association and a Selector for the Assam men’s cricket team. The BCCI was asked whether holding two positions in two different associations was permitted or was a conflict of interest.
The SCA, Kharsawian and Kharkamni were attacked for asking the question in comments to the media. In response, he said: “The Shillong Cricket Association wholeheartedly agrees with the writer that Mark Ingty has had a vital role in cricket, not just in playing for the state but also in inspiring younger cricketers around him.”
However, he added that Ingty had never disclosed his role as office bearer in Karbi Anglong nor his role as an Assam selector to the MCA before he was appointed to the Apex Council here.
“Now it is doubtful as to which side his allegiance stands – for the players of Meghalaya or Assam? How can a person be a member of two state associations at the same time? Do we allow a person to be a member of two district cricket associations in our state? No. But here is representing two state associations – how can this be possible?”
Kharsawian also defended Kharkamni from the charge that the latter was targetting Ingty from the shoulders of the SCA. He explained that Kharkamni asked the question of the BCCI as it was “not proper” for a district association like the SCA to write to the BCCI directly.
On the other subject, Kharsawian was criticised for the way he entered the MCA as an Apex Council member in the last body, whose term ended in January, while he was an office bearer in the SCA. His entry was said to have been facilitated by Kharkamni, which was allegedly “gravely irregular, perhaps illegal” and a conflict of interest, one critic said.
Kharsawian strongly rejected this, saying that the Apex Council had decided, and “this was ratified by the General Body”, that heads of sub-committees would be nominated to the Apex Council on a rotational basis even if they were office bearers in district associations. After this decision was taken, Kharsawian and Arwotki Sumer (from West Jaintia Hills District Cricket Association) became nominated members.
Kharkamni “was the MCA Vice-President at that time, so how can he alone take a decision to induct [Kharsawian] in the Apex Council, as has been alleged?”
The SCA was also accused of financial irregularities, specifically that it collects fees from affiliated clubs in the form of cash rather than through bank transfers.
“As far as the accounts of the SCA is concerned, every year the financial reports are tabled during the General Body meeting and every member has the right to raise their concerns, if any, and are also free to put forward suggestions and remedies in this forum in case of any doubt,” Kharsawian said, adding a request to critics to raise the issues “in the proper forum.”
