CALCUTTA, June 21: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has set up a one-man inquiry committee to look into allegations of match-fixing that have rocked Indian cricket recently.

Retired Chief Justice of India YV Chandrachud has been entrusted with the job. ``Justice Chandrachud has consented to hold an inquiry into the matter,'' BCCI's outgoing secretary Jagmohan Dalmiya said today.

``We decided not to involve players, journalists and Board officials in this inquiry as they too have been charged with match-fixing,'' he said.

Although the committee's terms of reference have not been finalised, the former Chief Justice would enjoy wide powers and could go ahead and call anyone he deems fit during the course of the inquiry, Dalmiya said.

No time-frame has been fixed yet. The purpose of this committee, Dalmiya indicated, was to go into the depth of the matter. The decision to set up the inquiry was taken after discussions with BCCI president Raj Singh Dungarpur, he said.

The weekly Outlook's cover story on June 11 had alleged that players as well as journalists were involved in the match-fixing racket. In the same issue, former all-rounder Manoj Prabhakar had said that he had been offered Rs 25 lakh to ``tank'' a match.

Dalmiya said the Board had written to Prabhakar, asking him to name the colleague who had offered him the money. The player, in his reply, refused to identify the person, saying that, ``I feel that no useful purpose would be served by my stating any more facts, especially as it would be virtually impossible for me to prove the incident that had occurred.''

Prabhakar also wrote that he had been receiving threatening phone calls since the article had been published. He even stated that he had been ``visited by a man who has threatened to kill me if I disclose more''.

The Board's letter to Ajit Wadekar, the then manager of the Indian cricket team, for tapping players' telephones following rumours of their involvement in betting, has proved unfruitful. Wadekar has not even cared to reply.

Dalmiya added that scribes who had been claiming proof of players' involvement in betting and match-fixing were also not coming forward openly. ``Many people seem to know many things, but they are not disclosing anything.''

A journalist, whose report on match-fixing was misleading enough to make it sound as if Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar was on the bookies' pay-role, too has sent a vague reply to the Board's letter seeking clarification, Dalmiya said.

The Board had asked Tendulkar to explain his position after the issue was raised in Parliament. The Indian captain had clearly stated that he was in no way involved.

``In view of these developments and the wide concern in this matter, the Board thought it would be a correct step to initiate an independent high-level inquiry,'' the BCCI secretary said. Dalmiya said that anyone found guilty would be punished. He also indicated that if none of the allegations were proved, the Board would take appropriate action against those responsible for spreading malicious and motivated aspersions.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.