India suspends wrestling official over sexual assault charge

India's national wrestling association said Monday it had suspended a referee after reports he was arrested for alleged sexual assault at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The referee, named in Indian media as Virender Malik, was reportedly detained in the Scottish city at the weekend.

"We have suspended Mr Malik on the basis of reports of him being probed for sexual assault," Vinod Tomar, assistant secretary with the Wrestling Federation of India, told AFP.

"We will wait for Scotland Police to finish their investigation after which we will take further action," he said.

The secretary-general of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Rajeev Mehta was also reportedly arrested Saturday for alleged drunk driving.

The arrests are the latest embarrassment for the IOA following accusations some of its officials were involved in corruption related to the chaotic 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

The International Olympic Committee froze India's membership in December 2012 over the graft charges meaning Indian athletes could not compete under the national flag at the Sochi Winter Games earlier this year.

The 14-month ban was finally lifted in February after the IOA agreed to revise its constitution, keep tainted officials out, and hold fresh elections.

IOA president N. Ramachandran has sought to distance the Indian sports body from the latest controversy, saying the officials were not part of the IOA contingent and were not even staying at the Games village.

"Right now the details are rather sketchy and it would be unfair to jump to a conclusion. We will look into the matter only after the law runs its course," he told the Times of India.

 

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.