BCA general body decides to maintain status quo

The annual general meeting (AGM) of the Bengal Chess Association (BCA) held in Kolkata on Friday decided to maintain status quo and expressed confidence in the incumbent Secretary, International Master Atanu Lahiri.

"The AGM was held and it was decided to maintain status quo as per the court order issued earlier. However, representatives from 15 district chess associations who attended the AGM expressed their confidence in me," Lahiri told .

According to Lahiri, a local court had ordered to maintain status quo on a petition filed by a rival faction in the BCA and hence elections for the new office bearers were not held.

While the All India Chess Federation (AICF) has directed the BCA to hold its AGM under the supervision of a three-member AICF committee comprising Vice Presidents A. Narasimha Reddy and D.V. Sundar and Treasurer Kishor Bhandekar, a group in the state association seemed to be not in favour of it, as well as the polls to elect its office bearers.

A three-member ad hoc committee of the BCA announced its decision to remove Lahiri from the post of Secretary as he did not respond to the show cause notice issued to him by its Disciplinary Committee on September 2.

The BCA has also obtained an ad-interim order of injunction from a local court against the AICF and A. Narasimha Reddy, Chairman of the AICF Enquiry Committee, restraining them from issuing any direction pertaining to holding of elections.

The court has also restrained Lahiri from acting as BCA Secretary and ordered status quo with regard to election activities till November 20, 2019.

The turmoil in BCA began on August 27 when a normally reticent Grand Master (GM) Dibenyendu Barua took the Indian chess world by surprise by levelling various charges against Lahiri.

Barua accused Lahiri of misuse of power as BCA Secretary and conflict of interest with regard to a West Bengal government project to teach chess to tribal students in the state.

Barua also alleged that the BCA had passed a resolution to not invite GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly and GM Deep Sengupta for any chess function/activity for their critical comments about the way in which the National Team Championship-2019 was organised in Kolkata by the BCA.

Lahiri has disputed the charges, saying the BCA has not passed any resolution against the two players as alleged by Barua.

( With inputs from IANS )