Secretary Bikash Baruah (right) and other senior office-bearers of the ACA at a media conference in Guwahati on Monday. Picture by S.H. Patgiri

Guwahati, June 2: The Assam Cricket Association (ACA) today suspended former secretary and ex-officio member Nandan Bezbaruah for five years and cracked the whip on four players and an under-25 selector.

ACA secretary Bikash Baruah told newspersons that the governing body has issued the suspension orders on recommendations from its disciplinary committee.

Bezbaruah has been suspended for allegedly refusing to hand over important official documents despite repeated reminders and tampering with the ballot papers after losing his post in a highly-politicised election at the annual general meeting in Bongaigaon on November 10, Baruah said.

“A section in the governing body had even suggested life ban. But the meeting finally decided to go soft keeping in view his position as former Ranji player,” Baruah said.

Bezbaruah, in a letter yesterday, had allegedly dared to take Baruah and others to task for a showcause issued by the ACA disciplinary committee on March 23.

Baruah said the former secretary had even allowed two members — Nurul Islam and Chandra Kalita — of the Nalbari District Sports Association to vote in the election though the Gauhati High Court had awarded the voting right to Gafur Zaman, the secretary of the faction-ridden association.

“After losing the election, Bezbaruah had instigated Zaman by secretly giving him the proceeding papers to move court and get the elected body dissolved,” Baruah alleged.

After serving several notices to Bezbaruah to hand over the proceedings and other important documents, the ACA sent two of its senior office-bearers to collect the papers from his residence. “However, he refused to hand over those papers and said he would deposit them in the treasury, which he had not done till date,” Baruah said.

ACA treasurer Ghanashyam Baruah, Ranji selector Umananda Bora, Nowgong Sports Association secretary Pradeep Hazarika, former umpire Suren Ram Phookan, joint secretary Bhakti Medhi, assistant secretary Bishnuram Nunisa and representatives of Barak valley, lower and central Assam.

Bezbaruah could not be contacted for his comments. Sources said the latest development was not only unfortunate but could threaten the legality of the present ACA dispensation.

The ACA has also suspended four under-25 cricketers — Dinesh Mahanta, Palashjyoti Das and Situ Das of Guwahati and Kamakhya Saikia of Sivasagar — for a year on disciplinary ground. They have been charged with skipping the state under-25 selection trials in Managaldoi to play club cricket here.

The four were issued showcause notices through their respective district associations, while their replies did not satisfy the ACA, Baruah said.

The ACA governing body formally ratified the release of Imran Hussain of Tezpur District Sports Association as selector of the under-25 state team since he himself plays in the senior inter-district meet.