CAB challenges accusation of being funded by Todis to win election

Kolkata, Oct 03 (UNI) The CAB today challenged PWD Minister Kshiti Goswami's statement alleging using of industrialist Ashok Todi's money in the cricket board's elections and termed it 'baseless'.

The intrigue over the death of Rizwanur Rehman took a new twist today as Mr Goswami alleged that Police Commissioner Prasun Mukherjee was said to have received assistance from industrialist Ashok Todi, Rizwan's father-in-law, in the CAB election.

" There are talks about Todi having provided assistance (to Mukherjee) in the CAB election. This signifies setting up of a relation. There are also talks about how far that relation acted in the incident, " Mr Goswami told reporters at the State Secretariat in reply to a question.

He demanded that there should be an investigation into the allegation.

Reacting to the statement CAB joint-secretaries Samar Pal and Amitava Banerjee addressed the press today evening.

In the press meet, Mr Pal said, " The comments made by the minister are baseless and uncalled for. The CAB and its members feel insulted. " He also said, " They have obviously got their facts wrong as Mr Prasun Mukherjee have won uncontested the last two times he stood for the post of CAB President. " Asked if they would take any legal option, he said, " They have let this known through the media. We are raising our protest through the media. That is it. " He stated that in the working committee meeting slated for October eight it would not be a part of the agenda. However, if any of the members chose to take up the topic it could be discussed in the miscellaneous section.

This came a day after CAB joint Secretary Snehasis Ganguly got involved in the Rizwanur Rehman case after admitting to have introduced Pradip Todi, brother of industrialist Ashok Todi, to Mr Mukherjee.

Today Snehasis Ganguly, the elder brother of Sourav Ganguly, was made a party in a petition in the Calcutta High Court demanding a CBI probe into the death of computer graphics teacher Rizwanur Rehman, who married the daughter of a Hindu industrialist.

Kalyan Banerjee, counsel for Keshwar Jahan, Rizwan's mother and Ruqbanur, his elder brother, stated before Justice Soumitra Pal that in the wake of Snehasis's admission that he introduced Pradip Todi to the CP, he would like to make the former Ranji Trophy cricketer a party in the case.

Justice Pal directed Banerjee to serve notice to Snehasis, the assistant secretary of Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), of which the Police Commissioner is the president.

UNI