SIR 2.0 | Ex-India women cricketer Jhulan Goswami summoned for hearing; TMC accuses BJP of targeting national icon

Kolkata: Former India women’s cricket team captain Jhulan Goswami has been summoned for a hearing under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, along with her two siblings, over a discrepancy in their father’s name, an official said on Friday.

Their father’s name appeared as “Nishith Ranjan Goswami” in some documents and “Nishith Goswami” in others, he said.

"The hearing was scheduled on January 27. Goswami was not required to appear in person and resolved the matter from her residence, while her two siblings attended the hearing at a local school," the official said.

Goswami, a fast bowler, represented India in 12 Tests, 204 ODIs and 68 T20 ties.

The matter triggered a sharp political reaction, with the Trinamool Congress accusing the BJP of targeting a national sports icon.

Recalling that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had hailed Goswami in 2017 as “India’s pride”, the TMC said in an X post: “The same icon is now being dragged to prove whether she is even Indian over a petty discrepancy in her father’s name”.

“Exploit our heroes for photo-ops, then subject them to humiliation, suspicion, and state-sponsored indignity,” the party said, adding that “a party that doubts Jhulan Goswami’s citizenship has forfeited all moral authority”. PTI SCH NN