Indian news round-up

Former Indian all rounder Manoj Prabhakar. arrested in connection with a cheating case and admitted to a private clinic following a suspected brain stroke was on Tuesday remanded to 14 days judicial custody by a court at Haldwani.

The judicial magistrate Ashok Kumar visited Prabhakar at the hospital and ordered that a medical report of the former cricketer be sent to the court on a daily basis, the Superintendent of Police, Nainital Jeevan Chand Padney told PTI over phone on Tuesday.

Prabhakar was arrested by the Uttaranchal police from his south Delhi office on Monday following a non bailable arrest warrant issued by the magistrate in connection with a chit fund company scam case on May 11. Police had alleged that Prabhakar as the director of the company had defrauded and cheated people while accepting deposits from them.

Indian team manager Chetan Chauhan on Tuesday reacted sharply to a news magazine article that some Indian cricketers had used steroids and cortisones to enhance their performance.

"I can state categorically these players do not take drugs of any performance-enhancing type," said Chauhan. "They may take boosts like energiser and other things but these were taken even in my time," said Chauhan who represented India in 40 Tests from 1969 to 1981. "The team has been upset by the allegations and we deny them completely," he told a television network.

The cover story of the latest issue of 'Outlook' alleged that some players, including Rahul Dravid, Javagal Srinath and Ajit Agarkar have resorted to drug-taking in the past. The Indian team deliberated on the issue on Tuesday morning before entrusting to Chauhan the job of clearing the position.

Goa Cricket Association (GCA) president Dayanand Narvekar and three other GCA officials were arrested and subsequently released by Margao police last evening, police sources said in Panaji on Tuesday.

Narvekar, GCA secretary Vinod Phadke, former treasurer Rama Shankardas and a member Vivek Pednekar were arrested under section 336 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) on charges of endangering human lives during the India-Australia ODI on April 6, they said. They were subsequently released on bail bond of Rs 10,000 each, sources said.

Narvekar, a former deputy chief minister, Phadke and Shankardas are on bail in another case connected with the fake ticket scam. A chargesheet in the case was likely to be filed by the police this week, they said. According to police, around 15,000 ticket holders had to be denied entry fearing a stampede on the day of the ODI as the stadium was packed to capacity. It had to then resort to a lathi charge to disperse the crowd.