Sreesanth’s brother,friends pitch tent in capital to lend support after IPL spot-fixing scandal broke

Hamsa is one among four who have booked themselves into a budget hotel in Connaught Place since May 16 — the day Sreesanth was arrested in Mumbai and brought to New Delhi. Since then,Hamsa,along with Akhil Dev,Jayan and Deepu Shanthan — Sreesanth’s brother — have made the capital their temporary home. Their days thus far have revolved around the one-hour window in the evening during which they get to call on Sreesanth in the Delhi police’s special cell in Lodhi colony.

“During the day we worry about Sreesanth and only when we meet him do we get some peace of mind. But once we get back to the hotel,we continue to worry about him,” Hamsa said.

On Tuesday,before Sreesanth was brought to court along with Rajasthan Royals spinner Ajit Chandila,a man who also faces allegations for spot-fixing,Hamsa,Dev and Jayan had informal discussions with legal representatives outside the courtroom about the possible outcome of Delhi police’s plea to the special cell to extend Sreesanth’s police custody.

During the court hearing,Sreesanth largely remained poker-faced,except when he frowned and shook his head in disagreement as the public prosecutor pressed for the extention of his police custody.

Pilgrimage planned

“Yesterday we were allowed to meet him and he was confident that he would get bail. He told me that the first thing he wanted to do was visit the temple in Jammu and Kashmir (Vaishno Devi),” Hamsa said.

Dev added that Sreesanth also wanted to visit the temples closer home— in Sabarimala and Guruvayoor.

“He has great faith in god and that is what has helped him in these times of trouble. I have met him a few times over the past few days and he has always spoken in a calm and collected manner. I believe that Sreesanth had no knowledge of what Jiju (Janardhanan; friend who was also arrested for alleged links to bookies) was doing behind his back. Sreesanth trusted him completely,so it has come as a complete shock to him,” Dev said.

Wait gets longer

However,when the special cell’s plea for custody was turned down and instead Sreesanth was sent to judicial custody till June 4,Dev and Hamsa realised that it would take at least another week before they could again habour hopes of their friend being released on bail.

As Sreesanth prepared to leave for Tihar jail,Hamsa started to worry about how he would cope with the change.

“We were hoping to spend a quiet evening with him if he got bail. It would have been a welcome change to stay away from courts and the special cell. The past two weeks have been really taxing for Sreesanth and the rest of us,” Hamsa said.

Sreesanth’s elder brother Deepu preferred to stay away from the court on Tuesday. “Deepu hardly answers his phone because all the questions are the same and it gets very depressing. Since the arrest we have all been trying to come to terms with what has happened,” Dev said.