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Journalism of Courage
After gag orders to players and groundstaff, CAB bouncer sends journos packing
Expect the Cricket Association of Bengal CAB to come up with something like this. The Bengal team no longer belongs to the Elite Division in the national first-class circuit, having been stripped off the coveted tag in the Ranji Trophy. Yet, the CAB administration is somehow still sticking to its policy of excessive control over the media when it comes to covering the senior team8217;s practice matches at the Eden Gardens.
For weeks on end now, the senior Bengal team is currently going through rigorous pre-season training drills at the Eden Gardens, and it entails sessions at the CAB8217;s gymnasium, the indoor facility and Eden8217;s plush ground.
However, despite no apparent cause for worry, the Jagmohan Dalmiya-led CAB administration has strangely taken the harsh decision to disallow shutterbugs and reporters from catching up with the 8216;action8217; from the sidelines at the Eden Gardens.
The CAB took its first step a couple of weeks back when it decided to drive off scribes from the sidelines of the Bengal players8217; practice matches at Eden. Although Laxmi Ratan Shukla 038; Co themselves never raised any objections to the innocuous presence of a few journalists on the far sidelines at the BC Roy Club House End, the CAB took the decision without provocation and earmarked the distant and far-up second-tier of the Club House building for mediapersons.
This decision was followed by the equally strange move to slap a gag order on Eden8217;s chief curator Prabir Mukherjee. The veteran pitch expert, who is otherwise revered in the media community for giving invaluable technical insights into the preparation of Eden8217;s pitches for the season, was debarred from talking to newspaper scribes and TV channels. 8220;We are asking the curator not to talk at all to the media simply because his opinions can sometimes be misinterpreted. The gag order is meant to do away with chances of confusion,8221; CAB joint-secretary Arun Mitra has explained then. What he failed to explain was what he meant by 8220;confusion8221;.
And in the latest move that could further hamper the media8217;s coverage of the Bengal cricket team8217;s practice in the run-up to the much-anticipated Ranji Trophy, Dalmiya 038; Co have now decided to stop newspaper photographers and TV news crew from catching the action from Eden8217;s sidelines while the team is playing out a 3-day preparatory match there. On the first day of play this afternoon, when shutterbugs and TV news crew landed up at Eden to cover the action, CAB president Dalmiya debarred them from entering the area outside the ropes. Instead, they were told to cover the action from the stands far up.
8220;This is not any special match or something that it has to be covered like this,8221; Dalmiya explained, when requested by photographers to allow them to enter the area outside the ropes. 8220;If there is a special or important match going on, then naturally you will freely cover it, and very closely. But this is just a practice match, there8217;s no point,8221; the CAB president said.
Dalmiya not going for Nagpur Test
The Vidharbha Cricket Association VCA had invited Dalmiya for the Nagpur Test. However, since there has been no official invitation from the BCCI, Dalmiya is unlikely to go over for Sourav Ganguly8217;s farewell Test.
