Police arrest coach of wonder kid Budhia

The wonder kid who says he will give up running, accuses his coach of beating him and also withholding food.

The Bhubaneswar Police on Monday arrested Biranchi Das, coach and mentor of Budhia Singh for last two years till they snapped ties on Sunday, after the wonder kid's mother Sukanti lodged an FIR at the Baragarh Police Station. The FIR alleged that Biranchi used to physically torture Budhia, though the coach has refuted the charges as "baseless".

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Bhubaneswar SP Amitabh Thakur told Hindustan Times, "A case has been registered at Baragarh Police Station under sections 341 (confinement), 323 (causing simple hurt), 294 (use of abusive, obscene language) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC and Section 23 of Juvenile Justice (care and protection of children) Act. Budhia has been sent for medical examination". Soon after the FIR was lodged, Biranchi was first detained for interrogation and subsequently arrested.

Budhia and Biranchi formally parted ways on Sunday. Speaking to the media, Budhia also reiterated the allegations made by his mother against his coach. Budhia said, "The coach used to beat me and on one occasion, I was even hung upside down from a ceiling fan".

Coach Biranchi, on the other hand said, "I don't know why the allegations are brought against me now. Sukanti took her son twenty days ago to live with her. I fail to understand why Sukanti is making the allegations now. The allegations that I used to torture Budhia are completely false and baseless".

The Child Welfare Committee (CWC), which Budhia banned Budhia Singh's 500-km walkathon from Bhubaneswar to Kolkata on June 6 this year, had earlier sent a notice to the coach Biranchi on June 11 to return all the money received from various trusts and sponsors to Budhia.