Calcutta: In a stop-gap measure, Bikash Panji will accompany East Bengal as coach in the Durand Cup.

After an emergency working committee meeting on Sunday, the club decided to hand the responsibility to Panji after Subhas Bhowmick ? who was arrested for taking a bribe ? expressed his inability to continue in the hot seat. Panji has been assistant to Bhowmick for over three years.

“Bhowmick’s wife met him in jail today. Then she called me and said Subhas wanted to convey the message to me that he would not coach East Bengal till he proved his innocence,” club president Dr Pranab Dasgupta said after the meeting.

“We appointed Bikash as coach for the Durand Cup because he knows the team quite well. Besides, we didn’t want to look for another coach in a short span of time,” he added.

Although the club had appreciated Bhowmick for “success both as a player and coach,” search for a full-time coach is already on.