Pallavi Nair,TNN | Dec 6, 2013,
“I and my family are shattered,” she said, while interacting with media in the presence of her father at her residence. “I have no cricket left in me to pursue,” she said.
The U-19 cricketer, who was allegedly molested by the former MPCA joint secretary Alpesh Shah on September 23, recorded her statement before the additional judicial magistrate Savita Singh under Section 164 CrPC on Thursday. The cricketer said she has faith in the legal proceedings. “I want justice,” she said. Countering Shah’s allegation that she levelled charges as she was not selected in the U-19 team, she said, “The selection was held on October 7, while the incident happened on September 23.”
On being asked why the FIR was not lodged on the day of the incident, the cricketer said top MPCA officials had assured her that action would be taken against Shah and she should not go to the police. “We held back our decision to lodge an FIR on the same day. When nothing was done, her family decided to take the legal course,” she said.
About any witnesses at the time of incident, the girl said there was nobody on the second floor, which houses Shah’s chamber. “Though people were in the MPCA office, the second floor was empty,” she said. When asked whether her father tried to contact the president of MPC, Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, she said her father had written to the minister on October 8, but there was no reply.
The high court has stayed the arrest of Shah till the investigation was complete on Wednesday. “We will wait for the investigation to be completed,” said prosecution advocate Vinay Saraf.
Later in the evening, MPCA officials held a meeting with the members of the probe committee constituted by the association. Panel members, Justice (retired) Indrani Dutta, MPCA member Anita Atre, MPCA spokesperson Ashok Kumut and CEO Rohit Pandit issued a letter to the girl and Shah to appear before them on December 7.
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