Following the harassment allegations levelled by Neeraj Chopra and Sumit Antil, Dronacharya awardee coach Naval Singh has been sacked by the Paralympic Committee of India. The PCI terminated Singh with immediate effect on Saturday, April 18 after the Indian star athletes levelled allegations of mental harassment from him.
The news of the termination was confirmed by Devendra Jhajhariya, PCI Chief, to India Today’s sister channel, Aaj Tak on Sunday. There are also discussions within the board to set up an enquiry against the Dronacharya awardee.
Paralympic gold medallist Sumit Antil has filed a complaint with the Sports Authority of India (SAI), accusing Dronacharya awardee coach Naval Singh of verbal abuse and mental harassment. Backed by Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, Antil claimed that Singh’s behaviour has had a negative impact on athletes.
He alleged that Naval Singh had repeatedly singled out both him and Neeraj Chopra, and said the coach went beyond professional limits by verbally abusing their families as well.
“He mentally harassed us and abused our, as in mine and Neeraj’s, families. He seems mentally unstable,” Antil told PTI.
Antil said the issue kept worsening over time, eventually leaving him with no choice but to lodge a formal complaint with the authorities.
“He would deliberately share recordings of his abusive rants with our managers, so that they reach us.”
Naval Singh, who received the Dronacharya Award in 2015, is currently coaching Sachin Yadav. Sachin had finished fourth at last year’s World Championships, ahead of Neeraj Chopra, who ended up eighth while battling an injury. Naval has not yet responded to the allegations.
Antil added that his complaint has the backing of Neeraj Chopra as well as fellow para javelin throwers Navdeep Singh and Sandeep Chaudhary.
He also questioned the coach’s intentions, suggesting that his actions may have been influenced by competitive interests.
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