New Delhi: The Indian Golf Union (IGU) has suspended senior member of its Governing Council (GC) Sandeep Verma pending an investigation into alleged misconduct during the Paris Olympics.
In an official order, IGU president Brijendra Singh said, “The Indian Golf Union hereby suspends its Governing Council member Sandeep Verma with immediate effect i.e. from August 30, 2024, pending investigation against him for serious misconduct while representing India at the Paris Olympics.” Without giving details about the alleged misconduct, Singh said the investigation would take a week to 10 days.
He said, “His act is so serious that he should be suspended. We have started an inquiry and we will get the report within a week or 10 days.” Sources say that Verma had allegedly used a fake credential to be a part of the Indian Olympic team during the opening ceremony in Paris. Verma, however, termed these allegations baseless.
Verma said, “All these allegations are false. I had the necessary permission and accreditation letter to attend the inauguration ceremony. My name was in the list of those who were part of the team and who attended the inauguration ceremony.”
He said, “I did not copy anyone’s accreditation letter. I did not hide anything. Crores of people saw me with the flag during the opening ceremony. One has to go through a strict security check to reach there. These are all false allegations and I have sent them (IGU) a legal notice yesterday.”
Singh, however, said that the IGU has enough evidence to prove the allegations. He said, “We have to give them a chance to present their side, although we have enough evidence to prove the allegations.”