Farokh Engineer

Mumbai/Chandigarh: Farokh Engineer, who is adjudicating into the row involving Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth, has promised to expedite his inquiry, slated to be held in New Delhi on Monday.

Harbhajan was on Saturday suspended pending his explanation for slapping his Indian teammate Sreesanth at the end of an Indian Premier League match in Mohali.

As per the ICC Code of Conduct, slapping a fellow player constitutes a Level 4 offence and could lead to a life ban or a minimum ban of five Tests to 10 ODIs.

“Based on prima facie video evidence as seen and reviewed by the Match Adjudicator and Referee Mr Farokh Engineer from the tapes provided by Sony & TWI, a decision has been reached to suspend with immediate effect Harbhajan Singh of the Mumbai Indians pending the inquiry into the incident on Monday, April 28,” IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi said in a statement.

Engineer was the Match Referee in the tie between Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians on Friday night.

Engineer said both the parties would be summoned for the inquiry in the New Delhi and he would consider video evidence, if any, to find the truth.

“We are not going to sweep things under the carpet. The complaint has to be carefully examined before any decision is made,” Engineer told reporters in Mohali.

According to him, the inquiry would be conducted as per the ICC Code of Conduct and a decision would be taken in the interest of the game.

“Everything possible will be done to adjudicate it immediately. The complaint made by the management of the Punjab team has been to referred to me by Lalit Modi for immediate adjudication under the ICC Code of Conduct.

“I have already started the process and will be summoning all concerned and will also seek any video evidence recorded by the host broadcaster,” the former flamboyant wicketkeeper said.

Earlier, Punjab Cricket Association president I.S. Bindra said they would provide all the logistical support to Engineer to conduct the inquiry.

Harbhajan slapped Sreesanth immediately after the match, in which Sreesanth’s Kings XI Punjab defeated the Harbhajan-led Mumbai Indians. The suspension also means Harbhajan, who is leading the side in absence of the injured Sachin Tendulkar, will not be able to play against Deccan Chargers in Mumbai on Sunday.

The ICC, meanwhile, has made it clear that it will not interfere in the row, saying it is for the BCCI to take appropriate action on the matter.

“The IPL is the BCCI’s domestic tournament and it is the supreme authority to take appropriate action in this regard,” an ICC spokesman said.

Harbhajan is not stranger to on-field altercations The offspinner, nicknamed the Turbanator, has often landed in a soup for being a bit too aggressive for his own good on several occasions.

As he prepares to answer the BCCI’s showcause notice for allegedly slapping Sreesanth, Harbhajan’s disciplinary record suggests that his anger is getting a bit out of hand.

He has been in the centre of a raging controversy during India’s recent tour of Australia. Andrew Symonds accused Harbhajan of racially abusing him during the Sydney Test, prompting Match Referee Mike Procter to hand him a three-Test ban.

The decision created a furore with the Indians threatening to pull out of the tour. The ICC was forced to conduct an investigation following Harbhajan’s appeal and his ban was eventually overturned.