SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, April 23: Crisis in All Jharkhand Chess Association (AJCA) has deepened as coordinator Prabhat Ranjan has resigned after a dispute with a senior official.
AJCA president Pradeep Verma (MP) and General Secretary Manish Kumar did not receive the call but vice-president Vijay Kumar Singh said he had no information about the resignation of Prabhat Ranjan.
Office bearers of several districts confirmed that Prabhat Ranjan sent his resignation to general secretary Manish Kumar and stopped working as coordinator.
Sources said Prabhat Ranjan resigned after a hot telephonic discussion with AJCA vice-president cum Hazaribagh District Chess Association (HDCA) president Vijay Kumar Singh.
The dispute intensified in March this year when HDCA allegedly extended the date of the Chess Festival (under 7 to 11) at the request of the East Singhbhum Chess Association vice-president. Being AJCA coordinator Prabhat Ranjan opposed but VK Singh overruled his protest saying that the tournament is being organized in the interest of players not for rule and regulation.
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The second point of dispute is AJCA’s pending dues of around Rs 1.25 lakh on HDCA.
Sources said HDCA has held four major tournaments including a national in two years but has not paid an entry fee share to AJCA. Prabhat Ranjan had been mounting pressure to clear the due.
Officials of HDCA said that since the district body had made tournaments entry free for the promotion of chess among children in this condition, it would have paid a 25 per cent share of AJCA. Even free food and lodging were provided to players and their guardians.
“Of course, AJCA runs on the contribution of the district body and we would pay whatever genuine due is but the matter is that when we did not take entry fee then how would we pay that,” said an official of HDCA.
Dispute cropped up in 2023 when reportedly Prabhat Ranjan and joint secretary Dipak Kumar threatened to hold up Hazaribagh tournament if entry fee is not deposited directly in account of AJCA. Finally, HDCA bowed down but over 400 local schools players failed to participate due to tough stand of AJCA
Sources said that is why in March 2024 Chess Festival Dipak Kumar (International Arbiter) was denied to supervise as chief arbiter. Dipak Kumar was interested to supervise as the son of chief minister Hemant Soren was also participating.
“Prabhat Ranjan and Dipak Kumar both tried to create a rift between AJCA and HDCA for self interest. So, we opposed them,” said an HDCA official. Sources said in this dispute HDCA has support of five active district associations.
