"From Bhagat Singh to Inderjeet, everybody has to suffer for being outspoken": Inderjeet Singh after failing dope test
Indian sports has been thrown into a turmoil just days before the Rio Olympics. Inderjeet Singh, the shotput athlete who became the second Indian sportsman, in as many days, to fail a doping test, has alleged a conspiracy to suppress him by people who were afraid of being exposed by him.
"I am not in a situation that I can even speak," the Haryana athlete said, while speaking in an interview to CNN News 18 on live television.
Inderjeet Singh, who became the first Indian to grab a berth in Rio last year, was tested positive for androsterone and etiocholanolone, two anabolic steroids which are commonly exploited by athletes involved in sports that require muscle power. The 28-year-old though, has pointed at a conspiracy to suppress him and even went on to compare himself with the great Indian freedom fighter Bhagat Singh.
"It's a conspiracy. There is something wrong. In this country, from Bhagat Singh to Inderjeet, everybody has to suffer for being outspoken," Inderjeet Singh said, reported Zee News.
"I was one of the top contenders. Everybody feared that if this guy won a medal, he would create a lot of problem. I used to speak for Indian athletes everywhere about the way they are treated. They do not get sponsors. Some other people misuse the sponsors of the athletes," he added.
An initial report published by TOI suggested that Inderjeet Singh has been avoiding the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) tests, which had only heightened suspicion on him. However, the Asian Games medalist has refuted these allegations.
"There have been certain things which have happened with me in the last 12-18 months. I have never run away from dope tests. I have always told NADA and everybody else about my whereabouts. But these things happening just days ahead of Rio Olympics is very disturbing for me," he concluded.
The A sample of Inderjeet, which tested positive for doping, was taken in May this year. The NADA has now asked for Inderjeet's sample B, which is set to be tested within the next seven days.