In The News For The Wrong Reasons - Three India Basketball Players Arrested After Getting Into A Fight On The Road

Three top level basketball players Amjyot Singh, Arshpreet Bhullar and Amritpal Singh were arrested for a short while by Bengaluru police and spent some time inside a lock-up.

They were out for drinks and were involved in a brawl on the roadside while coming back to the national camp. when they were taken into custody, Basketball Federation of India (BFI) secretary general Chander Mukhi Sharma said while speaking to TOI.

These three represented India in the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and played all league matches.

Basketball Federation of India

They has not informed BFI officials or the coaches and had an accident when one of their bikes skidded.

Sharma stated that the players need to explain why they broke protocol and breached a code of discipline.

"A three-member inquiry committee of BFI officials has been constituted to report on the matter. The coaches have also been told to file the report at the earliest. Strict disciplinary action will be taken against these players if found guilty by the probe panel," Sharma said.

"This kind of indiscipline is not acceptable. They went out in the night breaking the camp's rules. They have brought a bad name to BFI and the basketball community. As far as the role of the junior camper is concerned, the boy just accompanied them and did not consume hard liquor, so a lenient view be taken in his case," he added.

Basketball Federation of India

There was a twist in the story when Amjyot posted on social media and alleged that BFI was trying to stop him from giving out the whole story.

Amjyot apparently told police that that Arshpreet thrashed him when they had a fight in the camp. He revealed injury marks through photos on his knees and arms, saying that he was beaten by Arshpreet and a police officer.

He had been banned for a year with Palpreet Singh for indiscipline by BFI after complaints of him slapping Arshpreet and the then skipper Yadwinder Singh during the Commonwealth Games.

Sharma said Amjyot's claims were baseless and the marks were from the accident and the story was a fabrication to avoid punishment.

Basketball Federation of India

"Since the two met with the accident, they feared that their act of indiscipline would come out in public as the local police had detained them. Arshpreet was furious about Amjyot not driving the bike carefully and fought with him. A scuffle broke out and the two hit each other. One can clearly see that the injury marks are of the accident and not assault," he said.