CBI takes over Narsingh’s case

New Delhi, Sept. 16: The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Friday said that the CBI has started its probe into the doping scandal of tainted wrestler Narsingh Yadav after the PMO referred his case to the investigation agency.

WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and requested him to forward Narsingh’s case to the Central Bureau Investigation for further investigation.

“Prime Minister’s Office has referred Narsingh’s case to CBI for further investigation and proceedings are learnt to have started into the wrestler’s doping scandal,” Brij Bhushan said.

Narsingh was handed a four-year ban last month by the Court of Arbitration which barred him from taking part at Olympic Games and also threatened to jeopardise his entire career.

Since then WFI had been demanding a CBI probe.

Narsingh had tested positive for banned substances about 20 days ahead of the start of the Olympic Games and the wrestler had alleged a conspiracy against him, saying that either his food or drinks were spiked.

But with Narsingh failing to produce any “real evidence” regarding the sabotage theory, the grappler from Maharashtra was debarred from representing India at the Rio Games in 74kg freestyle wrestling event.

The verdict marked a painful end to the controversy which began with the wrestler failing a dope test taken on June 25 and July 5. Despite grabbing the Olympic quota by virtue of his World Championships bronze in Las Vegas last year, Narsingh’s road to Rio was fraught with obstacles after he was named to represent India ahead of double Olympic-medallist Sushil Kumar, who dragged Narsingh to the Delhi High Court and a bitter courtroom tussle followed, but the judgment went in latter’s favour. — PTI