The more than 70-year-old BCCI, which has been functioning from its present premises for six decades, announced that the Pakistan tour beginning on January 21 will go ahead as scheduled even as the Pakistan board decided to go by advice from India.

The rampaging of the BCCI office in Mumbai drew allround condemnation and the Centre directed the Maharashtra Government to bring the guilty to book and ensure that the Pakistan tour beginning on January 21 goes off smoothly.

Taking a serious view of the situation in the wake of Shiv Sena threats to disrupt the tour, Union Home Minister L K Advani, held a special meeting to review security and said all necessary steps had been taken to ensure that the Pakistan team's tourwent ahead as scheduled in a proper atmosphere.

Asked if there was any indication of Shiv Sena's involvement, Advani said, ``no, they say they are not involved. But whosoever is involved should be arrested.''

Significantly, the BCCI move to shift its headquarters from Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai to Eden Gardens in Calcutta comes after vandals ransacked the BCCI office in Mumbai and manhandled the executive secretary Sharad Divadkar. He too will move to Calcutta shortly.

Board secretary Jaywant Yeshwant Lele, while informing about the shift in a written statement, also said that BCCI's property was badly damaged in the rampage and various trophies won by India were either missing or damaged. The Prudential World Cup was among the damaged items at the BCCI office.

``The BCCI requested the Cricket Association of Bengal to house the BCCI office at its complex at the Eden Gardens and we gave our consent,'' Jagmohan Dalmiya, who is also the CAB president said. He did not say if the shift was a permanentone. ``The BCCI is welcome to have their headquarters here as long as they want.''

Lele, before leaving Calcutta, confirmed that the Pakistan tour of India, which is scheduled to start with a three-day game at Gwalior on January 23, is very much on. ``The security has been beefed up and there is no cause for worry,'' Lele said. He added that the board was in constant touch with the government of India and had received all assurances regarding the safety of players. He said that Jagmohan Dalmiya is still a very important person in the whole affair even though he has no direct connections with the BCCI.

Earlier in Mumbai, State Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde, today announced that armed squads would be provided to Indian team captain Mohammad Azharuddin, Sachin Tendulkar, other players and chairman of the selection committee, Ajit Wadekar.

He said this at a press conference after meeting Chief Secretary P Subramaniam, DGP Arvind Inamdar, police commissioner R H Mendonca, Additional Chief Secretary(Home) K C Shrivastava, BCCI president Raj Singh Dungarpur, BCCI executive secretary Sharad Divadkar and other high ranking officials in Mantralaya this evening.

However, Munde failed to specify if the ransacking of the BCCI office was done by Sena men or whether the police would interrogate Sena MLA Shrikant Sarmalkar (leader of Opposition Chhagan Bhujbal had said that Sarmalkar was involved in the attack). Munde's only assurance was that the Mumbai police would arrest the culprits involved ``irrespective of their position and political affiliation.''

Munde also could not specify if the police would arrest people issuing threats of disrupting an Indo-Pak cricket match or Shiv Sena MLA Vijay Loke who had threatened to ransack hotels where the cricket players from both the teams would stay.

Munde's press statements made a perfect political speech. ``The State Government has taken serious note of the attack on BCCI office. It has not been established as yet if the attackers were Sena men. The police havegot certain clues on investigation but I cannot disclose them. All possible preventive measures will be initiated in the State to avoid any untoward incidence in future, he said.

He also added the BCCI officials were satisfied after meeting and having discussed the incident with me.

He said the police had recorded statements of the eight persons present during the attack at BCCI office on Monday and invesigations were on. Munde added that the demand made by Congress to arrest Bal Thackeray was politically motivated and the government had no such plans.

Massive combing operations have been launched by the city police to nab miscreants responsible for yesterday's vandalism.

Fifty police personnel in five groups have been deployed since last night to comb Mumbai and its suburbs. In addition, a unit of the state reserve police force (SRPF) has been stationed at the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) office, adjacent to the Wankhede Stadium. However, no arrests have been made so far, policesaid.

Meanwhile, the International Cricket Council president, however, would not comment on the prospects of the tour being cancelled. ``As ICC president, I have no say in the affair. However, all I can say is it should not be put off, but I really do not know what is going to happen.'' Dalmiya said that he had spoken to police officers of Calcutta on behalf of the CAB and was satisfied with the security arrangements for the Calcutta match, the first of the Asian Test Championships between India and Pakistan from February 16.

Going back to the Pakistan tour, Dalmiya said the entire affair has become a law and order situation and ``the custodians of law are adequate in handling the affair''. He echoed Lele in saying that assurances are being received regarding the security and the BCCI might feel it fit to continue with the tour. He admitted that the players might feel the pressure under the situation, but then they have to live with it. ``The atmosphere is definitely not congenial, but the players shouldget on with it.''

He denied having any knowledge of reports that the families of a few players have requested that the tour be called off. He said that if such an appeal is being made, the two boards will have to decide how to handle it. The ICC, he said, has no role regarding this.

Yesterday, a small group of Shiv Sainiks demonstrated outside Dalmiya's house here in Calcutta. ``I occupy the highest office in the ICC not as an individual, but as a representative of India which enjoys esteem as a cricket-loving country the world over. The demonstrations near my house did in no way enhance the prestige of the country,'' he said. Dalmiya added that the demonstration had raised a doubt whether the recent vandalism was directed against the India-Pakistan series or against the very game of cricket.