Internet Desk: In God Sachin Tendulkar we trust. After running from pillar to post, seeking justice in a land grab case, a 33-year-old Pune resident has now pinned his hopes on the legendary former cricketer. He has decided to stage an indefinite hunger stir outside Tendulkar’s residence on Perry Cross Road in Bandra West on May 18 to draw attention to his plight.
Tendulkar was the former brand ambassador of Amit Enterprises, which allegedly bought the land for a pittance. Sandeep Kurhade, a laboratory technician, has alleged that renowned real estate firm Amit Enterprises, run by the Pate family, with the connivance of his uncle, Shivaji Pinjan, paid him just Rs 20 lakh four years ago for an ancestral land in Ambegaon, Budruk, Pune, which is reportedly worth Rs 2 crore.
Pinjan was allegedly given Rs 1.50 crore by Pate for his share in the property. In a letter sent recently to the additional commissioner of police (western region) and the Bandra police station, Kurhade said he and his family plan to go an indefinite May 18 outside Tendulkar’s residence and requested police protection for it. He said he hoped that the Master Blaster would be moved by his plight and take up his case with Amit Enterprises.
In 2010, Tendulkar had signed a deal for being the brand ambassador of Amit Enterprises for Rs crore, which included two villas worth Rs 2.5 crore each in the realtor’s upscale housing project.
“We have heard a lot about Sachin. Apart from being a legendary cricketer and a Member of Parliament, he is a very humble and helping person; one who joins the fight against corruption. We are staging a hunger strike outside his home with prayers for help to get justice from the builder,” read the letter. Pointing out that Tendulkar has “a moral responsibility towards the people”, Kurhade said, “Irrespective of whether he helps us or not, I will be his fan forever.”