The controversy around the Narsingh Yadav doping scandal peaked on Monday with the beleaguered wrestler claiming that a Sports Authority of India (SAI) official was involved in tampering with his food supplements and called for a CBI probe into the entire issue.
This, despite Sports Minister Vijay Goel all but ruling out his participation in the Rio Olympics.
The issue became the national talking point as murmurs of foul play emanated from sources in the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) after Narsingh’s roommate at the SAI’s Sonepat camp, Sandeep Yadav, also testing positive for the same banned substance.
“Narsingh Yadav submitted a written complaint to the WFI on July 19 in which he has mentioned the name of one SAI official and also made allegations against a few other people, including some athletes,” WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh said.
Narsingh, who claimed he had received a life threat recently, said, “There should be a CBI inquiry. The entire episode relating to my selection had gone to court. There was a CID report that my life is under threat. All this makes it clear that I have been framed so that I am stopped from going to Rio.”
“I have given my complaint to the WFI in which I have made it clear that something could have been mixed in the food that was prepared at the mess. It is a conspiracy against me,” he added.
Bhushan said Narsingh’s complaint had been forwarded to the Sports Ministry and important people in the Government as well as the World Wrestling body FIlA and NADA.
The WFI president also said Narsingh had earlier been warned by SAI DG Injeti Srinivas against going to Sonepat for the camp but the grappler chose to ignore the advisory.
“After the Haryana Police gave a report that Narsingh may be in danger, the SAI DG personally requested him not to go to Sonepat and to practice somewhere else. But he refused, saying that the chief coach, foreign coach and other Rio probables are all there and he would also get sparring partners easily,” Singh said.
Regardless of the issue, he believes Narsingh is innocent. “The federation believes Narsingh is innocent. Injustice has happened with him and we are hopeful he will get justice. I will try my level best to help Narsingh get out of this problem so that he can represent India in 74kg in the Olympics and win a medal,” he added.
Asked if Narsingh could have been framed, Federation assistant secretary Vinod Tomar said, “Yes, it looks like that. Since Narsingh’s roommate has also tested positive, it raises the suspicion because both would have been consuming the same food supplements as they are roommates,” he added.
Tomar also said no other athlete in that camp tested positive and it was just these two. He added that most probably the outcome of this entire issue could be known after the final hearing by the NADA disciplinary panel on Wednesday, where the wrestler will be present.
Meanwhile, Sports Minister Vijay Goel hinted Narsingh’s chances of playing in Olympics are virtually over. Pointing out that Narsingh has been placed under provisional suspension, Goel said the wrestler would be given a fair chance to prove his innocence. “The NADA has disciplinary panels to deal with doping cases. He will get a fair chance to defend himself and present his case before these panels. There will be justice under the rules and beyond that there is nothing much we can do in this case,” he said.