New Delhi/ Patiala/ Fatehgarh Sahib, April 1
A day after the Punjab Police said top pugilist Vijender Singh and his sparring partner Ram Singh consumed heroin, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports today directed the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) to carry out an out-of-competition dope test on the Olympic medallist “immediately”. The pugilist has been avoiding giving samples of his blood and hair and insisted to tests by either NADA or WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency).

In a communication to the anti-doping agency’s Director-General Mukul Chatterjee, the Ministry said it had taken serious note of reports appearing in the media regarding alleged consumption of heroin by Vijender and termed these as “disturbing”. The Beijing Olympic bronze medallist has repeatedly denied having consumed heroin.

“Reports in respect of the sporting icon are disturbing and may have a debilitating influence on other sportspersons in the country,” the note said. “It has, therefore, been considered necessary that NADA gets a test carried out on Vijender Singh for his reported use of heroin even out-of-competition,” the ministry added. The communication has asked NADA to carry out the test “immediately under intimation to the ministry”.

Sources said the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) had also not intervened in the matter in a concrete manner and instead had played the wait and watch game.

“We are waiting for things to settle down between Vijender and the Punjab Police on their own. The matter does not relate to us,” said a senior functionary. Federation president Abhishek Matoria said the controversy was earning bad repute for the sport and he would like to speak to Vijender about the matter. “I have not been able to reach out to him, but will surely speak to him soon.”

In Fatehgarh Sahib, the District Attorney (Legal) today refused to move an application in the local court for summoning Vijender to get his hair and blood samples tested in the Rs 484 crore drug haul case. The district police had submitted a detailed report to the District Attorney to file an application to summon Haryana DSP and boxer Vijender under Section 53 of the Criminal Procedure Act.

However, the District Attorney returned the report with the remarks that under the Act, samples could be taken only after the accused was arrested by the police and charges proved against him. As the police had failed to establish any involvement of Vijender in the case, the District Attorney turned down the plea of the district police to move the court, sources added.

The Punjab Police had yesterday claimed that Vijender consumed heroin 12 times after procuring it from alleged drug smugglers, including NRI Anoop Singh Kahlon. "As per investigation conducted so far, Vijender Singh consumed the drug about 12 times and Ram Singh (his sparring partner) about five times," a Punjab Police statement had said.

Kahlon alias Ruby, the alleged Canada-based drug dealer, was arrested by the police on March 3 and 26 kg heroin worth Rs 130 crore seized from his residence in Zirakpur on the outskirts of Chandigarh.

The Punjab Police spokesperson said, "It has been established that boxers Ram Singh and Vijender Singh took heroin from Kahlon and his aide Rocky for personal consumption between December 2012 and February 2013."