The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is learnt to have found four table tennis players from West Bengal manipulating their age to participate in junior or sub-junior level tournaments — three of them represented India internationally. But the agency has not filed a case against them, as the matter, claim CBI sources, does not relate to “corruption”.
The agency has instead decided to write to several authorities concerned, including the central government, to take further action in the matter, they say.
On receiving complaints, officials in CBI’s sports integrity unit is said to have initiated a field-level probe in the matter by reaching out to hospitals where these players were born, and their respective schools, for detecting their correct age.
“These players, with the help of their parents or guardians, manipulated their age to qualify themselves to play in lower age categories. They misused provisions of Section 13(3) of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, and obtained birth certificates with manipulated dates of birth, on the basis of affidavits before court,” a CBI official said.
One of these four sportsmen from West Bengal, sources said, participated in international tournaments in 2012, in countries like China, Guatemala, EL Salvador and Hungary. The player had secured the first rank at the national level in sub-junior category in 2009.
By manipulating their age, the players were also able to illegally avail of scholarships worth lakhs of rupees from governments or public sector undertaking (PSUs). One of the three who played at the international level — CBI sources refused to divulge their names — received scholarships to the tune of Rs 4.92 lakh from Indian Oil and Oil and Natural Gas Corp since 2011.
The second player who represented India internationally had won in the sub-junior category of table tennis in 2011 and, based on the national ranking, participated in tournaments in the US, China, Pakistan and Slovakia. This player has to date received Rs 60,000 from the Airports Authority of India as contractual amount.
The third player to play outside India, from North Bengal, had secured third rank in the sub-junior category in 2009 and in junior category in 2013. This player, who was ineligible to compete in both these tournaments, received a scholarship worth Rs 2.5 lakh from the Airports Authority of India.
Details of the fourth player are not immediately available with the agency, sources say.
CBI’s inquiry revealed this practice was common across sports and prevalent in spite of the Union sports ministry issuing guidelines in 2009. CBI has written to the ministry “highlighting ineffective enforcement of its circulars” and to take “necessary action to tackle the menace”.
Further, CBI has sent a report to the Table Tennis Federation of India, advising action against the players; chief secretary of West Bengal and Army Headquarters (as one of the parents belongs to the Army) advising action against their parent concerned; and various state-run companies, regarding scholarships given to these players. The agency has also written to the Registrar of Births and Deaths to take action under the relevant provision of the Act.
