Murder accused BJP MP to lead India’s Asian Games contingent

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In a new low under the current government led by the BJP, a murder accused saffron party MP has been chosen to lead India’s Asian Games contingent in the next month’s sporting extravaganza in Jakarta.

Brij Bhushan Singh, who represents BJP from Uttar Pradesh’s Kaiserganj Lok Sabha constituency, is also the head of Wrestling Federation of India. His 2014 Lok Sabha election affidavits states that he ha’s under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 147, 148 (rioting) and 307 (attempt to murder) in his 2014 election affidavit.

Aside from being accused of murder, Bhushan is also a co-accused in the Babri Masjid demolition of 1992. His appointment as Chef de Mission of India’s Asiad contingent has sparked a huge controversy with members of civil society and commentators demanding his ouster immediately.

Sports guru Himanshu Chaturvedi told a channel that he was disappointed particularly when an Olympic medalist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore is India’s sports minister. “When Rajyavardhan Rathore was made the sports minister, I had the ray of hope that at least now we will now have sports people leading the sporting bodies…I am so surprised that people who are stting at the helm did not care to think about who they were sending to represent India.”

The controversial BJP MP told news agency ANI that he was not ‘convicted in any of the cases so far’ adding that he did not really ‘care what people say or write.’ He added, “If there is any law which still prevents me from going, then I will not go.”

Also joining him as his deputy is Rajkumar Sacheti, who’s a known loyalist of corruption-tainted Suresh Kalmadi. Central Vigilance Committee had accused Sacheti of musing his position as Joint DG during the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games.

Many commentators have felt that a rioter and murder accused leading India’s sporting contingent will have adverse impact on the athletes’ morale. The Asian Games will be held in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia from 18 August to 2 September.

 

 

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