Thirty two-year old Babu Bhai, a Havildar, retained the title he had won in the previous edition at Bhopal, clocking 1 hr 33.22 secs.
He edged out teammate Harvinder Singh by 14 secs, who clocked 1 hr 33.36 secs. Madhya Pradesh's K Somendra Singh settled for bronze with a timing of 1 hr 34.43 secs.
Babu led from the start and maintained the lead to clinch the gold. Second place was a close contest till three laps from the end, when Harvinder increased his pace to outwit Somendra.
An elated Babu Bhai, whose best timing was 1 hrs 23.06 secs, told PTI that hot and humid weather conditions here had affected his performance.
"The event began under pleasant weather condition, but sudden rain midway affected my performance. Prior to this championship I was in Himachal Pradesh for training. The sudden change from cold condition to hot and humid weather also hindered my performance," Babu Bhai said.
He said he did not exert much under these conditions, as suggested by his coach.
Published 17 May 2010, 07:13 IST