The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday slapped journalist Boria Majumdar with a two-year ban for intimidating Wriddhiman Saha. The Indian cricket board had formed a three-member committee to investigate te case after the wicketkeeper-batter accused the journalist of bullying him after being denied an interview. 

In an internal email BCCI stated that Majumdar will not be given accreditation for two years as part of the sanctions ratified by the Apex Council of the cricketing body.

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“Sanctions against Mr Boria Majumdar, to all the state associations on Wednesday, Hemang Amin, BCCI’s interim CEO and IPL COO wrote: “Dear all, as you may be aware, Mr Wriddhiman Saha had shared screenshots of messages sent by a journalist on social media platform, Twitter, wherein he stated that he felt bullied by the conduct of the said journalist. Mr Saha in the hearing named Mr Boria Majumdar as the journalist,” the email obatined by media organisations read. 

Saha had refused to name the journalist initially. But he named him during a deposition by the three-member committee, which comprised BCCI vice president Rajeev Shukla, BCCI treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal and BCCI councillor Prabhtej Singh Bhatia.

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“Mr Wriddiman Saha has shared screenshots of messages sent by a journalist on social media platform, Twitter, wherein he stated that he felt bullied by the conduct of the said journalist. Mr Saha in the hearing named Mr Boria Majumdar as the journalist. The BCCI Committee considered the submissions by both Mr Saha and Mr Majumdar and concluded that the actions by Mr Majumdar were indeed in the nature of threat and intimidation,” BCCI interim CEO and IPL COO Hemang Amin in a letter to the state units wrote. 

The top BCCI official has asked all the state units to facilitate the compliance of the sanctions in their respective associations.

The Apex Council of the BCCI agreed with the recommendations of the BCCI Committee and imposed the following sanctions:

1. 2 year ban on getting any accreditation as a member of the press in any of the cricket matches (domestic and international) in India;

ii) 2 year ban on getting any interview with any registered players in India; and

iii) 2 year ban on access to any of the BCCI and members associations-owned cricket facilities.”

“In view of the above, we hereby request you to kindly facilitate the compliance of the aforementioned sanctions in your respective associations.