FIR booked against paddler Soumyajit Ghosh; likely to miss Commonwealth Games
Paddler Soumyajit Ghosh's CWG participation is in serious doubt after a police complaint was lodged against him for allegedly raping a teenager. TTFI secretary-general, M.P. Singh revealed that the board has called for an emergency meeting on Sunday and an appropriate call will be taken there.
Soumyajit Ghosh's Commonwealth Games participation is in serious doubt after a police complaint has been lodged against the paddler for allegedly raping a teenager. An 18-year-old girl lodged an FIR in Barasat, on Wednesday, accusing the youngest national champion of raping her on a false promise of marriage.
The table tennis World No. 58 has already been included in India's squad for the next month's Commonwealth Games. Hence, the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) has called an emergency meeting to decide his fate and take appropriate action.
TTFI secretary-general, M.P. Singh said that the board came to know about the incident in the morning and have also acquired a copy of the FIR. Since the allegations are very serious, the TTFI has convened an emergency meeting of the executive board on Sunday.Â
“We got to know about the episode through news reports in the morning. We have managed to acquire a copy of the FIR. Since these are very serious charges, the TTFI has convened an emergency meeting of the executive board on Sunday. We will take an appropriate call in 48 hours,” M.P. Singh, TTFI secretary-general, told The Hindu on Thursday.
Singh also voiced his personal opinions and said that Ghosh should have been suspended with immediate effect and if the investigation clears him, he can return to the fold immediately.Â
“My personal opinion is since the allegations are so grave, Ghosh should be suspended with immediate effect. If the investigation clears him of any wrongdoing, he can return to the fold immediately,” he said.
At the moment, Ghosh, along with other top Indian paddlers, is competing in the ITTF German Open. The Indian paddlers are supposed to return home on March 25. The 10-member CWG squad is scheduled to undergo a pre-tournament dope test on March 27, before it departs to Gold Coast the next day.
