Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik deputed his sports
minister and the DGP to apologise to Chappell for the incident.
BHUBANESWAR: The Indian cricket team walked into an unnerving reception at the Biju Patnaik airport in Bhubaneswar on Monday. Minutes after alighting from flight IC-877, the team was apprised of a possible terrorist strike during the second ODI in Cuttack, scheduled to be played on Wednesday. Seconds later, coach Greg Chappell was subjected to a physical assault.
Prima facie, there appears to be no link between the Chappell episode and the terror threat. Moreover, the man who attacked Chappell was no Sourav Ganguly fan.
According to witnesses, Chappell was attacked while he was about to board the team bus outside the airport. A man, aged about 35, breached the security cordon and tried to slap the coach. In the end, he managed to land a jab on Chappell’s chest before being overpowered.
Chappell quietly boarded the bus as security personnel took the man, who claimed to be an activist of an outfit called the Kalinga Sena, into custody. The assailant was later identified as Biranchi Moharana.
The incident occurred minutes after a minister in the Orissa government claimed that security for the Indian and West Indian teams had been upgraded. Security was tightened after intelligence suggested a possible attack by terrorists of the banned Lashkar-e-Tayiba.
“We’ve put elaborate security measures in place,” Sports Minister Debasis Nayak told DNA. “The players will be provided with a tier-three security. The team hotel will remain out of bounds for the public.”
Police said the attack was launched by the Kalinga Sena in protest against the non-inclusion of Oriya players in the national team. “Moharana was venting his frustration at the selection process,” local SP Amitabh Thakur said. “We have held 30 of the Sena’s activists, but this man escaped our attention as he was moving with the media.”
According to locals, the Kalinga Sena is an outfit of lumpen elements who seek media attention through such incidents.
Director General of Police Amarananda Patnaik told journalists that adequate security has been put in place to meet any eventuality. “There is no serious threat as such, but we have made all arrangements,” he said.
Chappell, holed up in the hotel, which has been converted into a virtual fortress, could not be reached for comment. But Orissa Cricket Association president Ranjib Biswal said the coach was in fine spirits. “Ï had lunch with him and he is looking forward to winning the match,” Biswal said.
Later, it was learnt that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik deputed Nayak and the DGP to apologise to Chappell for the incident.
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