‘Deep rot’ in bodybuilding outfits; athletes, ex-officials under CBI lens
In a case that highlights deep-rooted corruption in state and district-level sports bodies, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered an FIR against two former officials of the Indian Body Builders Federation (IBBF).
The FIR, under Section 120-B read with 420 of the IPC, names TV Pauly, former vice-president, and Hiral Shah, former secretary general, for conducting unauthorised championships and issuing fake certificates. These were allegedly used by athletes to secure government jobs.
At least two athletes have also been caught using fake ID cards in conjunction with these fraudulent certificates. One of them, Bill Rae, now employed with the Goods and Services Tax Department, is accused of fudging his age by seven years to qualify for the job. Another, Mohammad Inam, allegedly born in 1993, obtained a secondary school marksheet from the National Institute of Open Schooling showing his birth year as 2006. He is currently out on bail.
A police complaint filed in Saharanpur, based on Right to Information (RTI) replies obtained by former bodybuilder Gaurav Kapil, led to Inam’s arrest. It was discovered that he possessed two Aadhaar cards with the same serial number, but different dates of birth.
Adding to the irregularities, the Indian Railways reportedly ignored its own directive dated August 8, 2024, which barred recruitment based on IBBF certificates issued after December 31, 2021. Despite this, two bodybuilders — Pritam Ghosh and M Rahul Meitei — were recruited months before the circular was issued, based on IBBF certificates.
When contacted, Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) secretary Prem Chand Lochab said: “Recruitments and related decisions are handled by zonal boards. We do not deal with those matters directly.”
Further irregularities emerged in Uttar Pradesh, where the state affiliate — the UP Bodybuilding and Fitness Association (UPBBFA) — appears to have two parallel executive committees operating under the same registration number.
According to the Uttar Pradesh Olympic Association (UPOA), the president of the state body is Sajid Ahmad Quraishi, while Vishwas Rai is the secretary general. Anurag Chaudhury is the president of the other body and is aided by Amit Rai as his general secretary.
“This kind of duplication is obviously being done to commit fraud and cheat genuine sportspersons,” said Kapil, who had first raised the issue via a complaint on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s grievance portal.
“What I want is a thorough investigation. How can a 35-year-old reduce his age by 13 years and get away with it to secure a government job? If no action is taken, there’s no hope for honest athletes,” Kapil added.
India