'Unwell' Soumyajit Ghosh stays back in Germany

With an investigation pending against him, Soumyajit Ghosh was due to return with the other members of the Indian team after participating in the German Open but he did not, citing health reasons.

The non-arrival on Sunday could make things more difficult for Soumyajit Ghosh, as he is wanted for investigation after an 18-year-old girl filed an FIR at the Barasat Woman Police Station, near Kolkata.

The ongoing saga involving Soumyajit Ghosh took a dramatic twist when the former National table tennis champion did not return to the country as scheduled on Sunday.

Provisionally suspended by the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) from the 2018 Commonwealth Games squad after an FIR filed against the player under sections of IPC and Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the 24-year-old Olympian was due to return with the other members of the Indian team from Bremen, Germany, after participating in the German Open. All other team members have returned.

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When asked about Ghosh’s whereabouts, the TTFI Secretary General M. P. Singh told Sportstar , “I received a mail early this morning from Ghosh stating he was unwell. He further said once he recovers enough to travel, he would return to India.”

The non-arrival on Sunday could make things more difficult for Ghosh, as he is wanted for investigation after an 18-year-old girl filed an FIR at the Barasat Woman Police Station, near Kolkata, and alleged, “We were in a relationship since last three years, during which he raped me. He also promised to marry me, but refused later.”

In the prevailing scenario, Ghosh could be kept out of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Players’ Draft to be held on March 28. This could lead to an estimated loss of around ₹ 8 lakh to Ghosh.