vibs89
School Cricketer
India in Bangladesh, 2004-05
Indian tour of Bangladesh delayed
Cricinfo staff
December 5, 2004
India's tour of Bangladesh has been delayed by at least one day after a radical Islamic group issued death threats to Indian cricketers if they went ahead with their tour of Bangaldesh. The Indian cricket board received a letter from government agencies instructing them not to leave at least till December 8.
"Our team of Intelligence Bureau is going to Dhaka to assess the security arrangements there. If the arrangements are good then we will send the team otherwise we will ask for more," said Shivraj Patil, the Indian Home Minister. "And if need be, we can also send in our own security personnel along with the players."
The government team that will inspect security arrangements is likely to be led by Yashovardhan Azad, an IPS officer and also Kirti Azad's brother. Yashovardhan also led the three-man inspection team that visited Pakistan before India's tour there early this year.
"We have asked BCCI to hold on till the government takes a decision on the tour," said Sunil Dutt, the Indian sports minister. However, Anwar ul Haq, the press attache of the Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi, said, "For the last three months we have been working to secure Dhaka. We have South Asian leaders coming there. We also have all the facilities in place to ensure the Indian cricketers are received well and are safe."
The news of the the threat broke on Sunday afternoon. "We received a hand-written fax letter on Thursday from an Islamic group called Harkat-ul-Zihad, saying that Indian cricketers will be killed if they visit Bangladesh" Shaibal Roy Chowdhury, a spokesman at the high commission, is quoted as saying by the BBC. The Indian high commissioner, Veena Sikri, told Reuters: "the Bangladesh foreign ministry has been informed." Cricket authorities in both Indian and Bangladesh have also been told and the Bangladesh board have asked security to be tightened.
"The trip [by the Indian cricket team] appears quite uncertain at the moment because the BCCI would have to decide if they feel safe to come to Bangladesh following this threat," S Chakravarty, the deputy high commissioner, is quoted as saying by a Press Trust of India report.
Ali Azghar Lobby, the Bangladesh Cricket Board president, said that a letter had already been sent to the Indian board assuring the safety of the players. "We have written that BCB takes full responsibility for the series. We have said that these type of threats usually turn out to be misleading and fake and should not spoil the series," said Lobby. "The government has assured that security would be beefed up to ensure the tour goes on."
India are scheduled to play three one-day internationals and two Tests in Bangladesh. They are set to set off on Tuesday, December 7 and the first Test, at Dhaka, begins on Thursday.
? Cricinfo Ltd
Indian tour of Bangladesh delayed
Cricinfo staff
December 5, 2004
India's tour of Bangladesh has been delayed by at least one day after a radical Islamic group issued death threats to Indian cricketers if they went ahead with their tour of Bangaldesh. The Indian cricket board received a letter from government agencies instructing them not to leave at least till December 8.
"Our team of Intelligence Bureau is going to Dhaka to assess the security arrangements there. If the arrangements are good then we will send the team otherwise we will ask for more," said Shivraj Patil, the Indian Home Minister. "And if need be, we can also send in our own security personnel along with the players."
The government team that will inspect security arrangements is likely to be led by Yashovardhan Azad, an IPS officer and also Kirti Azad's brother. Yashovardhan also led the three-man inspection team that visited Pakistan before India's tour there early this year.
"We have asked BCCI to hold on till the government takes a decision on the tour," said Sunil Dutt, the Indian sports minister. However, Anwar ul Haq, the press attache of the Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi, said, "For the last three months we have been working to secure Dhaka. We have South Asian leaders coming there. We also have all the facilities in place to ensure the Indian cricketers are received well and are safe."
The news of the the threat broke on Sunday afternoon. "We received a hand-written fax letter on Thursday from an Islamic group called Harkat-ul-Zihad, saying that Indian cricketers will be killed if they visit Bangladesh" Shaibal Roy Chowdhury, a spokesman at the high commission, is quoted as saying by the BBC. The Indian high commissioner, Veena Sikri, told Reuters: "the Bangladesh foreign ministry has been informed." Cricket authorities in both Indian and Bangladesh have also been told and the Bangladesh board have asked security to be tightened.
"The trip [by the Indian cricket team] appears quite uncertain at the moment because the BCCI would have to decide if they feel safe to come to Bangladesh following this threat," S Chakravarty, the deputy high commissioner, is quoted as saying by a Press Trust of India report.
Ali Azghar Lobby, the Bangladesh Cricket Board president, said that a letter had already been sent to the Indian board assuring the safety of the players. "We have written that BCB takes full responsibility for the series. We have said that these type of threats usually turn out to be misleading and fake and should not spoil the series," said Lobby. "The government has assured that security would be beefed up to ensure the tour goes on."
India are scheduled to play three one-day internationals and two Tests in Bangladesh. They are set to set off on Tuesday, December 7 and the first Test, at Dhaka, begins on Thursday.
? Cricinfo Ltd
