The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Wednesday, May 4, announced that Journalist Boria Majumdar has been banned for two years over the 'threatening and intimidating' messages that he had shared with veteran Indian wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha. In a letter addressed by BCCI's interim CEO Hemang Amin, all state boards were been informed about the ban.
The decision that was taken by the three-member committee, which comprised BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, Treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal, and Councillor Prabhtej Singh Bhatia, released their final report on the sanctions Majumdar will face. This report was accessed by Sports Tak, and mentioned below are some key points from the same:
BCCI takes notice of Wriddhiman Saha's accusations
The Gujarat Titans (GT) player, on February 19, posted a screenshot of WhatsApp messages on the social media website Twitter, and without naming the journalist, he said, "After all of my contributions to Indian cricket.. this is what I face from a so-called "Respected" journalist! This is where the journalism has gone."
When asked to name the journalist by the BCCI, Saha refused to do the same but changed his mind after "he along with his family has suffered mental trauma due to the constant pressure being put on him by various unnamed entities. The Player has therefore agreed to make these submissions so that such instances with other players can be avoided," read the report.
BCCI forms committee to investigate these accusations
After news of these accusations, the BCCI formed a committee comprising Vice President Rajeev Shukla, BCCI, Treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal and Councillor Prabhtej Singh Bhatia, to investigate and submit their findings.
The key issues that were addressed are:
1. The name of the journalist who had sent the messages to the Player?
2. Whether the messages sent to the Player constituted threat and intimidation?
Submissions of Wriddhiman Saha
In accordance with the committee's requests, the player submitted a full history of his relationship with Boria at the hearing on March 5. he said that Boria had been pressurising for interviews for the last two-three years. Eventually, after months of nagging the player had agreed to a Zoom interview but did not make a commitment of any sort.
After he was picked at the IPL 2022 mega auction by GT, Saha failed to respond to Boria's call, following which he received a text, saying, "You did not call. Never again will I interview you. I don't take insults kindly. And I will remember this." and "This wasn't something you should have done."
Boria Majumdar's rebuttal to Wriddhiman Saha's claims
According to the sports journalist, Saha and he were friends for '12 years' prior to the incident. He attested to most of the facts stated by Saha but claimed that the GT keeper tweeted against Boria only after the India team for the Sri Lanka series was announced, in which Saha was not selected.
Boria also claimed at the hearing that the player "gave interviews to multiple Bengali channels expressing his displeasure and disappointment with the BCCI President and Head Coach on the matter of his exclusion from the Sri Lanka series. The same statements created a furore on social media and may have put the player in a bad light. To undo that damage and portray himself as an overall victim of bullying, the player then proceeded to make public on Twitter his exchange of messages 7 and 10 days before, February 10, 2022, and February 13, 2022, with Mr Majumdar."
The BCCI committee findings
After the hearings, the committee declared that "journalists get a lot of their content and information to report from the cricketers. The cricketers too benefit from association with the journalists. However, it is always the prerogative of the cricketer if he wants to do an interview or not. The cricketer under no circumstances can be coerced to give an interview. There has to be free will."
Boria's claims that the screenshots were doctored were also rebuked as "merely blurring the date of the messages does not amount to doctoring the screenshot in the instant matter. The subject matter of the enquiry does not turn on whether the date was blurred or not. The content did not change. The Player did not alter the wordings in the messages whose screenshot was uploaded by the Player."
Punishment for Boria Majumdar
Following the final findings of the committee, these were the final decision:
1. Two-year ban on getting any accreditation as a member of the press in any of the cricket matches (Domestic and International) in India.
2. Two-year ban on getting any interview with any of the registered players in India.
3. Two-year ban on access to any of BCCI and its member association owned cricket facilities.
