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Chandigarh: Accused of mismanagement, cop in charge of shooting range transferred

By, Chandigarh
Sep 12, 2023 03:33 AM IST

Holding the post for the past 18 months, sub-inspector Harwinder Singh, who himself is a former shooter, has been replaced by Sukhna Lake post in-charge Pramod Kumar, who has been assigned additional charge

The sub-inspector deployed as in-charge of the Sector 25 shooting range has been transferred to the Sector 26 police lines following allegations of harassing players and poor management.

Singh’s transfer came on the complaint of some players, who approached Chandigarh SSP Kanwardeep Kaur. The players, in their written complaint, accused the SI of mismanagement and not maintaining sanitation at the shooting range. (HT Photo)
Singh’s transfer came on the complaint of some players, who approached Chandigarh SSP Kanwardeep Kaur. The players, in their written complaint, accused the SI of mismanagement and not maintaining sanitation at the shooting range. (HT Photo)

Holding the post for the past 18 months, sub-inspector Harwinder Singh, who himself is a former shooter, has been replaced by Sukhna Lake post in-charge Pramod Kumar, who has been assigned additional charge.

Notably, the UT administrator had once again handed the administration of the shooting range to Chandigarh Police in 2021.

While the Sports Authority of India (SAI) is responsible for the infrastructure development, police handle the administration.

Singh’s transfer came on the complaint of some players, who approached senior superintendent of police (SSP) Kanwardeep Kaur. The players, in their written complaint, accused the SI of mismanagement and not maintaining sanitation at the shooting range.

Senior police officers, including a DSP, had visited the shooting range to verify the allegations.

The players also met the SSP at her office at Police Headquarters, Sector 9, on Monday to press for more practice time as the national tournament in Delhi was coming up in November.

“We are practising hard to clinch a medal in the upcoming national tournament by hiring personal coaches. There is no help from the police or the sports department. We had complained about the dirty surroundings to the in-charge, but he snubbed us. When we escalated our complaint with senior police officers, he started harassing us by not allowing us to practice for more than two hours and not letting us eat inside the shooting range premises,” said a female player, who met the SSP on Monday.

Another player, who had represented India at international tournaments, said despite several requests, the SI didn’t bother about cleanliness. “When confronted, he pasted a notice barring us from eating inside the range. It is not possible for players to continue their practice without eating.”

Meanwhile, according to sources, the SI was transferred mainly after it was established that he provided private coaching to some players and didn’t deposit the fees charged from them in the Chandigarh Police account.

Pertinently, players are charged between 1,000 and 2,000 per month to use the facility. Private coaches hired by the players also are charged 2,000 per month.

“The SI was not authorised to give private coaching to the players or charge personal fee from them. The ruckus occurred due to a rift between the ousted SI and his predecessor. As per a 2016 order by the then DGP, players can practice only for two hours. But we are looking into their demand to increase the time limit,” a senior police officer, familiar with the matter, said.

The officer added that police had also proposed a new 10m shooting range and to restart a shooting range for shot gun at the Sector-25 shooting range.

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