IT raids continue for second day

There were enough indications on Thursday that the raids by Income Tax officials would continue for the second successive day. And on Friday, IT sources said that there were further search operations at various offices and residential premises of two bookies, close relatives of the Indian cricket team coach Kapil Dev and those of Sangeeta Bijlani, the wife of former Indian captain Md Azharuddin.

There were also reports of search operations at the BCCI office at Brabourne Stadium in south Mumbai late on Thursday night. The CBI sought details of the PILCOM records connected with the 1996 World Cup and recorded statements from the board executive secretary Sharad Diwadkar.

There was no let up in the largest ever clean-up operation in Indian cricket. For yet another day, the focus remained on Kapil Dev, Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja, as well as Manoj Prabhakar, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Ajay Sharma and Nikhil Chopra. The officials who continue to be targetted are former ICC president Jagmohan Dalmiya, BCCI treasurer Kishore Rungta, World Tel chief, Marc Mascarenhas and alleged bookie MK Gupta.

It is learnt that the IT officials have admitted that they are working in close touch with the CBI and that is a clear indication that these raids across the country are in connection with the match-fixing scandal.

The manner in which things are developing, it may be a while before the nation gets to know the outcome of what surely is the biggest attempt to clean up Indian cricket. The result of all this could well determine whether cricket will remain a national sport or is exposed as a national shame.