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Kapil urges quick end to CBI inquiry

Onkar Singh, in Delhi

Former India cricket captain Kapil Dev on Monday met with Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and requested him to ask the Central Bureau of Investigation to hasten its probe in the match-fixing scandal.

"Yes, Kapil Dev met me this morning and requested that the CBI should be asked to expedite their probe into the match-fixing allegations so that players who have not been examined by the agency can get over with it and carry on with their work. I can understand his anxiety to get the whole thing over," Dhindsa told rediff.com after the meeting.

According to sources in the ministry, Kapil Dev arrived at 11 in the morning and was closetted with the minister for 20-odd minutes. They, however, refused to clarify whether the current Indian team coach had a prior appointment with the minister or made an impromptu appearance.

Kapil Dev himself is in the thick of the allegations following former India allrounder Manoj Prabhakar's charge that he had offered him Rs 2.5 million to under perform in a Singer Cup match against Pakistan in 1994. Kapil has denied the allegation.

The Central Bureau of Investigation team, led by joint direction R N Savani, is currently investigating the allegations and has examined more then a dozen prominent cricket players and officials to find out what they know about the incident and match-fixing in general.

Kapil Dev has not been examined but given the fact that former India captain is keen to see that the inquiry is over at the earliest, sources in the CBI do not rule out the possibility of him appearing before the investigating team this week to explain his position.

Asked about deputy minister of sports Shahnawaz Khan's statement that cricketers involved in the match-fixing could be sent to jail, Dhindsa said it is not the intention of the government of India to humiliate any cricket players.

"Many of them have brought laurels to the country in the past and have kept the Indian flag flying high. Our intention is only to remove the dirt from the game so that it is played as gentlemen did in the past," Dhindsa said.

Would you issue a directive to the CBI to expedite the case as requested by Kapil Dev?

"No," said the minister. "The government is no position to issue any directive. The CBI is going to take its own time and the government will not interfere with the investigations. The CBI has its own system of finding out the truth. They have to verify statements made by various players."

Kapil Dev could not be reached for his reaction. Efforts to contact him at home or his office proved futile.