Manipur's ace boxer held for assaulting woman athlete

Asian Games boxing gold medallist Dingko Singh has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman weightlifter in Manipur, police said Friday.

"Dingko surrendered to police Thursday evening after the family members of the female athlete registered a case against the boxer. He was arrested and likely to be produced before the court Friday," police said.

According to police, the incident took place Jan 13 at the Khuman Lampak Sports Complex in Imphal.

The victim alleged that she was assaulted by Dingko for scribbling his name on his car's dust-covered registration plate.

Dingko said the female athlete had written "Oja Dingko with love from ..."

However, the girl, 17, said she had written only "Oja Dingko".

The boxer, who is also a coach of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), had allegedly paraded all the women players of the Khuman Lampak hostel and asked them to write his name on a piece of paper. Subsequently, he singled out the victim claiming that it was she who had scribbled his name on the car's registration plate.

The victim alleged that Dingko hit her with a stick in a brutal manner. The victim has been receiving treatment at a private hospital in Imphal.

Dingko Singh shot to fame by winning a gold medal at the 13th Asian Games held in Bangkok in 1998. He was posted as a SAI coach in Manipur since December last year. He was honoured with the prestigious Arjuna Award after his success in the 1998 Games and was conferred the Padma Shri last year.

Meanwhile, several organisations in the northeastern state, including the All Manipur Weightlifting Association, has condemned the behaviour of the boxer and demanded strong action against him.

Sunil Elangbam, secretary of the All Manipur Weightlifting Association, said they would send a formal complaint against the boxing coach to the SAI officials.