New Andhra Pradesh government assures justice for cricketer Hanuma Vihari
New Andhra Pradesh government assures justice for cricketer Hanuma Vihari
The Andhra Pradesh government has assured that it will ensure justice for cricketer Hanuma Vihari, who was allegedly mistreated by the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) due to political interference.
Hanuma Vihari, a star cricketer from Andhra Pradesh, was unceremoniously removed as captain of the state cricket team and later forced to resign as a player, allegedly due to political pressure from the past government.
The incident sparked widespread outrage, with fans and cricket enthusiasts taking to social media to express their support for Hanuma Vihari using the hashtag #WeStandWithHanuma.
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government, led by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pavan Kalyan, has come out in support of Hanuma Vihari, assuring that it will take all necessary steps to ensure that justice is served.
"What I have faced in the last couple of years is a lot of humiliation and I have lost my self-respect. That's the reason why I wanted to leave the Andhra Cricket Association and move to another state. But after meeting Mr Nara Lokesh (state minister), I got the assurance that I have to represent my Telugu state, and I am really happy doing so", Vihari said.
"So I am looking forward to coming back to the ACA and serving Andhra cricket for a long time to come", the India test batter added.
In a statement, the government said that it will not tolerate any political interference in sports and will take all necessary measures to promote sportsmanship and fair play.
The government also announced that it will provide all necessary support to Hanuma Vihari, including ensuring that he receives the necessary clearance to play for other state teams.
The Andhra Pradesh government has assured that it will do everything in its power to ensure that sports are promoted in a fair and transparent manner, without any political interference.
This came just three weeks afterHanuma Vihari confirmed that the ACA issued his Non-Objection Certificate, paving the way for his departure from the state team.
The dispute began when Vihari was asked to relinquish his captaincy duties after an altercation with Prudhvi Raj KN, the team's 17th player and the son of a prominent Andhra Pradesh politician.
The incident, which reportedly involved Vihari shouting at Raj, led to significant internal discord and placed the veteran cricketer at odds with the ACA.
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