Bengaluru: The High Grounds police have registered an FIR against five people including the CEO of the Bangalore Turf Club, following a complaint by a race horse owner that the CEO failed to initiate action after receiving a report from the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) that a filly tested positive for drugs.
H. S. Chandregowda, also a member of the Managing Committee of Karnataka Race Horse Owners’ Association, has filed a complaint in this connection on Wednesday. The police have booked the CEO of BTC, Mr. S. Nirmal Prasad, Chief Stipendiary Officer (CSO) Pradyumna Singh, Steward Vivek Ubaykar, Stable Trainer Neil Darashah and well known breeder/owner and punter Arjun Sajnani.
In his complaint, Mr. Chandregowda stated that the three year old filly, Queen Latifa, won the Karnataka Race Horse Owners Association Million Cup in The Invitation Cup, a premier event held at BTC on March 5. The winning filly's urine samples immediately post race was obtained by veterinary doctors and later was sent to the NDTL in New Delhi, for their report on dope test. The analytical report dated March 23, was sent through Email to the BTC Ltd.
“It is a well established procedure at the BTC on receipt of the report to be instantly opened at a time by two senior officers, and in case of the Dope Test Report being positive, the said officers are to immediately conduct a raid along with veterinary doctors on the premises of the trainer of the said horse and check for any drug samples, syringes and sanitise the stable, and report the matter to the Chairman and Senior Steward of the BTC,” he stated.
“However, in this case, the dope test report was received by the CEO and the CSO. On learning of the dope test as positive, the CEO, instead of immediately conducting a raid on the premises of trainer Mr. Neil Darashah, check for drug abuses and sanitise the stable, chose to keep the report with himself and informed the CSO that he shall look into the matter and act on it. Later, the CEO failed to follow the procedures and also did not inform the Chairman and Senior Steward of the BTC. Instead, he chose to inform Mr. Vivek Ubaykar, a powerful Steward of the Club, whose business partner for long, Mr. Arjun Sajnani, happened to be the co-owner of Queen Latifa. The CEO chose to do so as he was appointed as the CEO despite violations of the norms of appointment at the behest of Mr. Vivek Ubaykar and thus was obligated,” Mr. Chandregowda alleged.
“The action of the officers in violating the dope test procedures of the BTC Ltd and the established norms of the National Anti Doping Agency under the Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs is criminal in nature and their subsequent attempts to conceal the report, destroy the evidence in a fortnight is clearly an act of crime," he said.
" The CEO’s attempts to delay and allow the Stable Trainer, Mr Neil Darashah, to remove all or any such prohibitive drugs or equipment in possession is an abetment to crime, and his failure to make public the dope report and initiate corrective measures also violates laws under prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. Finally, Mr. Nirmal Prasad as CEO to align and be a part of a syndicate to unduly enrich themselves with money while betting on the Horse amounts to cheating the Racing Public at large,” the complaint stated.
The police have booked the accused persons under Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 202 (intentional omission to give information of offence by person bound to inform), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 418 (cheating with knowledge that wrongful loss may ensue to person whose interest offender is bound to protect), 420 (cheating) and other sections of the IPC.
