SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, March 22: Ranchi Para shuttler Kamal Agrawal has alleged that Jharkhand Badminton Association (JBA) secretary K Prabhakar Rao denied him playing in the 6th Para National Badminton Championship under progress at Mohan Ahuja Stadium Jamshedpur despite fulfilling all eligibility.
Kamal Agrawal, while talking with media persons, also alleged that Secretary Rao demanded Rs 2 lakh from him; when he expressed his inability to pay such a heavy amount, he (Rao) asked him to stop playing and misbehaved in the stadium, in full public view. Agrawal also shared video clips of his conversations with K Prabhakar Rao.
Kamal Agrawal announced that he would complain to the sports minister and the Prime Minister. If he fails to get justice from them, he will commit suicide rather than face such an insult.
Prabhakar Rao denies charges
JBA secretary Prabhakar Rao denied all charges levelled by Kamal Agrawal and said he did not stop anyone from playing. 250 Para players appeared for the national championship, and the doctor’s team disqualified five players on technical grounds. Kamal Agrawal was one of them.
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“As far as the demand for Rs 2 lakh is concerned, I did not demand it from any player. Selected players for international tournaments have to pay Rs 2 lakh for tour expenditure. It is not new, and selected players of international tournaments pay this for participation,” he said.
Rao alleged it is a conspiracy by some ousted members of the JBA to defame him.
Show cause notice to the player
Meanwhile, the Badminton Association of India has issued a show-cause notice to Jamshedpur-based Para badminton player Umesh Bikram Kuma for violating the code of conduct.
The BAI has charged that Umesh Bikram Kumar was engaged in sending messages to various Para badminton tournament groups and emails about wrong information, tarnishing the image of the federation and other officials.
Complaint to Jamshedpur SSP
Meanwhile, another Para shuttler of Jamshedpur, Prashant Kumar Sinha, has lodged a written complaint to the senior superintendent of police (SSP) East Singhbhum against K Prabhakar Rao for harassing him and stopping him from playing.
