Powerlifter who won state’s highest sports honour to be probed for forgery
The state sports ministry has initiated an inquiry into the allegations levelled against a deputy director-level officer on a complaint that he allegedly misrepresented facts and forged certificates to get the Shiv Chhatrapati Award - the highest honour for sportspersons in the state -- for the year 2008-2009.
The complaint, filed late last month by Salauddin Ansari, a national champion in karate and a reputed coach, lists several anomalies in the manner in which powerlifter Manik Thosre was selected for the Shiv Chhatrapati Award. The complaint is based on replies under the Right to Information Act and documents obtained from sports bodies. According to the complaint, Thosre could not have qualified for a direct award based on state’s own government resolution which says that a player can be conferred with the award directly for winning a medal at an Asialevel event if players from six nations had participated in that particular sport. In Thosre’s case - he participated in the Asian Powerlifting Federation tournament -- there were only two participants and he stood second, the complaint said.
Apart from this, the format of Thosre’s certificate for the tournament was “slightly different” from the one produced by other players who won a medal at the same event. Another certificate cited by Thosre for the award is that of an event at Navi Mumbai in February 2008, organised by Indian Powerlifting Federation. The date and signatory on this certificate are different from other participants, the complaint said.
In the details of participants for that event, Thosre has been shown to have born in 1958, whereas the Shiv Chhatrapati Award shows him as 1963 born. Thosre refuted the allegations and said that the authenticity of the documents produced by Ansari should be ascertained.
The complaint, filed late last month by Salauddin Ansari, a national champion in karate and a reputed coach, lists several anomalies in the manner in which powerlifter Manik Thosre was selected for the Shiv Chhatrapati Award. The complaint is based on replies under the Right to Information Act and documents obtained from sports bodies. According to the complaint, Thosre could not have qualified for a direct award based on state’s own government resolution which says that a player can be conferred with the award directly for winning a medal at an Asialevel event if players from six nations had participated in that particular sport. In Thosre’s case - he participated in the Asian Powerlifting Federation tournament -- there were only two participants and he stood second, the complaint said.
Apart from this, the format of Thosre’s certificate for the tournament was “slightly different” from the one produced by other players who won a medal at the same event. Another certificate cited by Thosre for the award is that of an event at Navi Mumbai in February 2008, organised by Indian Powerlifting Federation. The date and signatory on this certificate are different from other participants, the complaint said.
Ansari alleged that Thosre “fudged” his date of birth to participate in that category at the Asian Powerlifting Federation tourney.
In the details of participants for that event, Thosre has been shown to have born in 1958, whereas the Shiv Chhatrapati Award shows him as 1963 born. Thosre refuted the allegations and said that the authenticity of the documents produced by Ansari should be ascertained.
