Para-swimmer Prasanta Karmakar was on Thursday suspended for three years by the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) for allegedly recording videos of his female counterparts at the National Championships in Jaipur in 2017.
“A written complaint regarding acts of misconduct, misbehaviour and manhandling was lodged against the 2010 Commonwealth Games bronze-medallist,” a PCI release said.
Karmakar allegedly asked one of his associates to film female swimmers during the event. On the objection of the parents of those swimmers, the associate told the Chairman of Para-Swimming, PCI, V.K. Dabas, that he was instructed by Karmakar to record the swimmers. The PCI claims that Karmakar was himself caught recording videos of female swimmers with a tripod camera.
“Karmakar was called by the chairman wherein he, in full anger, asked the chairman and other office-bearers of the PCI why they were stopping his man from making the video. He was told that the act is being objected to by the parents of the swimmers,” the PCI said.
“Karmakar asked the PCI office-bearers to show written objections. The objecting parents immediately submitted their written complaints. Karmakar argued with Dabas and Mahipal Singh Arya from Haryana saying that he was an Arjuna awardee and refused to delete the video recordings of the swimmers,” the PCI added.
The 37-year-old was even detained by the police, but was later released after he agreed to delete the videos and photos recorded by him and his associate.
Karmakar is one of India’s most decorated athletes, he was the first Indian para-swimmer to participate and win a medal at the 2003 World Swimming Championships held in Argentina.
A 2010 Commonwealth Games bronze-medallist, Karmakar was also the national champion for 16 consecutive years and was India’s swimming coach at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
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