Three Rajasthan Royals players - Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila - have been suspended by the BCCI after being taken by police for questioning over their alleged involvement in corruption in the IPL. The franchise issued a statement saying that they had been "taken by surprise" by the development.A case has been registered at the Marine Drive police station in Mumbai under sections 420, which deals with cheating, and 120 (b), which deals with criminal conspiracy, of the Indian Penal Code - there is no specific law covering cheating in sport. The players are in the custody of Delhi police.Addressing the media, BCCI president N Srinivasan said he was shocked by the news but did not agree with the suggestion that the IPL had become untenable. He also said it was "truly sad" that this incident had occurred given that the BCCI had banned five domestic players last year for being caught in a sting operation.Earlier in the day the BCCI said the IPL Governing Council had met and decided to suspend the three players pending an inquiry. "As of now, the three players Ankeet Chavan, Ajit Chandila and Sreesanth stand suspended pending enquiry. All information required to bring the persons involved to book will be collected and strictest action will be taken, if found guilty.""We have been informed that three of our players have been called in for investigation on spot fixing in matches. We are completely taken by surprise. We do not have the full facts at this point and are unable to confirm anything," Rajasthan Royals said in a statement. "We are in touch with the BCCI on this matter. We will fully cooperate with the authorities to ensure a thorough investigation. The management at Rajasthan Royals has a zero-tolerance approach to anything that is against the spirit of the game."India's Sports Ministry called for the IPL authorities to hand out punishments that would serve as deterrants if the players were found to be involved. "It is very unfortunate that Delhi Police have arrested some cricket players for their alleged role in the spot fixing in the ongoing IPL tournament," the Ministry said in a statement. "The Minister of Sports, Shri Jitendra Singh has spoken to chairman of the IPL Shri Rajeev Shukla on the issue and impressed upon him to take urgent steps to put in place a mechanism to prevent such unethical activities and ensure clean sports in the country. The Minister also emphasised that strict action be taken against all those who are found guilty to serve as a deterrent to others."After initially neglecting the concern raised by the ICC's anti-corruption and security unit (ACSU) the BCCI officially allowed them to function in the IPL from 2010. In 2012, the BCCI set up its own anti-corruption unit, with former ACSU chief Ravi Sawani in charge, and his team has been present at various venues from this edition of the IPL. It is understood Sawani's team had no role to play in the Royals' players investigation, as it was an independent action by the Delhi police.The Royals played a match on Wednesday night against Mumbai Indians and reports said Chavan, who played the game, and Chandila were detained by police after the completion of the game. Sreesanth was detained in Delhi.
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