Orissa’s controversial child marathoner Budhia Singh is in the news again with his mother Basanti Singh filing a fresh police complaint against Biranchi Das, Budhia’s former coach, accusing him of pocketing all the money the wonder kid had received from government and non-governmental agencies across the country and abroad when Budhia and his coach were together.

The complaint has been filed in the Bargarh police station here. After filing her complaint, Basanti told newsmen that her son’s former coach had refused to handover the funds despite repeated requests. “He has pocketed nearly five crore of rupees which were given to Budhia. Besides, he has also built his house with Budhia’s money,” Basanti who stays in a Bhubaneswar slum said.

She threatened to move the court of law if the police failed to recover Budhia’s funds from his former coach. Das, however, rejected her claim. “She is telling lies. Just wait and see what happens,” Budhia’s former coach maintained. Sources in the Bhubaneswar police said a case has been registered on the basis of Basanti’s complaint and if necessary Das will be questioned.

Once each other’s close associates and supporters, Budhia and his mother and Biranchi Das had gone their separate ways a few months ago after a bitter public war of words over the allegation made by the mother-son duo that the child marathoner was physically tortured by his mentor-cum-coach.
Das, in fact, had to spend a couple of days in the prison after police arrested him on the issue.