Para Shooting World Cup becomes uncertain after sports ministry suspends PCI
New Delhi, Feb 4: The hosting of the Para Shooting World Cup in India next month is in jeopardy following the sports ministry's decision to suspend the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) for not holding elections on time.
The Para Shooting World Cup, to be held at the Karni Singh Ranges here from March 6-15, is the first-ever mega para shooting competition allotted to India and offers 24 Paris Paralympic quota places.
More than 500 pistol, rifle and shotgun shooters from 52 countries are expected to compete in the competition and aim to secure Paralympic quota places in the last tournament of the qualification cycle.
Several top Indian para shooters are also in the fray for Paralympic quota places.
However, following the ministry's decision on February 2, a cloud of uncertainty hangs over the prestigious event at a time when the PCI is in the final phase of confirming entries of competitors by name, arranging their visas, stay and putting in place a technical team for the conduct of the competition.
The ministry had on February 2 issued an order suspending the PCI's recognition for "intentional delay" by the national body "to elect a new executive committee" as per the National Sports Code.
The four-year term of the PCI ended on January 31 this year and, as per the ministry, the elections should have been held before the expiry of the term. The PCI has scheduled the election for March 28 this year.
PCI secretary-general Gursharan Singh told PTI on Sunday that the ministry had been informed that the elections were getting delayed only because of the impending Para World Cup.
"Yes, they have suspended the recognition of the PCI. How can they when no national sports federation (NSF) has received recognition for the current year.
"The ministry is saying that they suspended our recognition because we did not hold the elections on time. Our election was due on January 27 this year but because of the Para World Cup, which has been awarded to India for the first time, we had to postpone the elections.
"We announced the dates of the elections in March after the Para World Cup. The elections are on March 28 and the returning officer has also been appointed," said Singh.
"We informed the ministry about the election dates a week back, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) too has been informed. Suddenly this development (suspension of recognition) happened; I don't know why.
"We wrote to the ministry that the elections were being postponed only because of the Para World Cup... a ministry official is also in the Para World Cup organising committee," added Singh.
"We received the last date for entries by name for the competition only yesterday. This development will spoil the reputation of the country. We will have to organise the tournament come what may, otherwise the IPC will create problems for us," he said.
"Our body hasn't been suspended, our recognition has. We don't take any money from the government but the biggest hurdle is the sponsors, many of them Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), who might not release payments following the developments."
Singh said the PCI has a budget of Rs 12 crore for the Para World Cup from which they were hoping for Rs 5 crore in sponsorship money.
"With the Paralympic Games later this year in Paris, this is not a welcome move. It's going to de-motivate the players."
The ministry has directed the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to co-ordinate with the IPC to form an ad-hoc committee comprising eminent administrators and sportspersons "to undertake these tasks performed by PCI" and "conduct free, fair and transparent elections".
"At least a notice should have been served before suspending our recognition," he added.
On whether there was a likelihood of the Para World Cup being taken away from India and being awarded to some other country, Singh replied in the negative.
"It is not possible at such a short notice", said Singh, though a source told PTI that South Korea is more than keen to host the event.
"The best part is the government has given the No-objection Certificate (NOC) for organising the Para World Cup. After all this, why has this spanner in the works.
"There is a provision in our bylaws and the National Sports Code that under special circumstances they can give approval (postpone elections)."
Sports Authority of India director-general Sandip Pradhan did not answer calls or messages.
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KCOCA invoked against two accused in land dispute murder case
Udupi (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Police have invoked provisions of the stringent KCOCA against two people in connection with a series of violent crimes, including murder, arising out of a prolonged land dispute in this district, officials said on Monday.
According to police, section 3 of the KCOCA was invoked after an assessment revealed the accused persons' - gangster Kali Yogish and alleged land shark Yogish Acharya- alleged involvement in multiple serious offences over a sustained period.
Accused Yogish has been arrested and remanded to judicial custody by a special KCOCA court in Mysuru, while gangster Kali, who is absconding, is believed to be residing abroad.
The case dates back to December 2022, when Kaup police registered an assault case against the accused duo and their associates for allegedly attacking a person identified as Chandrashekhar and others following a dispute over land ownership.
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The conflict escalated in March 2023 with the murder of a person identified as Sharath Shetty. Police said Shetty was allegedly killed for refusing to support Yogish and for assisting Chandrashekar in the land dispute.
A murder case was registered at Kaup police station, with Chandrashekar cited as a key witness in both cases.
Police further stated that on October 20, 2025, Chandrashekar received a threat at around 8.15 pm, warning him against deposing in court. He was allegedly asked to resolve a financial dispute with Yogish Acharya and threatened with death if he failed to comply.
Based on his complaint, a case was registered under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The investigation was supervised by Assistant Superintendent of Police, Karkala subdivision, Harsha Priyamvada.
Accused Yogish Acharya was initially arrested on October 24, 2025, and later released on bail. He was subsequently re-arrested after the invocation of KCOCA and remanded to judicial custody, police said.
