For various reasons, all four invitees — former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, football captain Baichung Bhutia, former football captain PK Banerjee and Bengal Olympic Association (BOA) president Paresh Nath Chatterjee — are not going to take part in the torch relay.

The Kolkata police, which had denied permission for a three-day rally at the Metro Channel from April 12, again denied permission to Students for Free Tibet (SFFT) to hold a dharna tomorrow at the same venue.

“We went to Lalbazar but were told that the SFI is to hold a rally there. Some officers also said such rallies were banned in Kolkata,” said a member of SFFT.

As for the relay, while Bhutia refused to take part to express solidarity with Tibetans, Ganguly cited his engagement with the Indian Premier League.

The first match of Knight Riders, of which Ganguly is the captain, is to be held at Bangalore on April 18. The team will play Rahul Dravid’s Bangalore Royal Challengers.

P K Banerjee, captain of Indian football team that played in 1960 Rome Olympics, who has not been keeping well recently, was keen on joining the rally. A week ago, he had told The Indian Express that he would run at least 100 metres at the relay. But the veteran footballer again fell sick last week and had to give up the idea.