Quartermiler Nirmala Sheoran gets 8-year ban for second doping violation
New Delhi, Feb 10: India's quartermiler Nirmala Sheoran has been handed an eight-year ban by National Anti-Doping Agency's (NADA) Disciplinary Panel after she returned positive for a banned substance in a test conducted last year.
The 28-year-old Sheoran had returned to competition during the National Inter-State Championships in June last year in Bhubaneswar after serving a four-year ban for a dope offence in 2018.
In an order passed by the NADA's Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel on December 27 and revealed only on Thursday, Sheoran has been banned for eight years, starting from August 7, 2023.
She had tested positive for "Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS) and Testosterone (T)" according to the NADA website, which mentioned only her first name -- Nirmala.
Sheoran, the country's top quartermiler at one time, had won women's 400m gold in the 2017 Asian Championships in Bhubaneswar. But a doping offence committed in 2018 resulted to her stripping of that gold as her results from August 2018 to November 2018 were struck off.
She also ran in the 2016 Rio Olympics in 400m and women's 4x400m relay.
"Yes, the athlete in question is Nirmala Sheoran. She (Nirmala in NADA website) is the same athlete (as Nirmala Sheoran). It's an out of competition test and her sample was taken in Jaipur," an athletics team source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
This would mean that her sample which returned positive was not related to the National Inter-State Championships but collected later.
The eight-year ban will also mean that Sheoran's career will be as good as over, unless she gets a favourable decision on appeal, if at all she takes that route.
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Congress leaders meet Pune top cop, seek strict action in spokesperson assault case
Pune (PTI): A delegation of Congress leaders on Tuesday met Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, a day after a party spokesperson was allegedly assaulted by right-wing activists, and demanded strict action.
On Monday, Pune Congress spokesperson Hanumant Pawar accused a TV debate participant, Tushar Damgude and his five aides of assaulting him outside a Marathi news channel's office in the Swargate area, following a dispute during the discussion.
Pawar alleged that Damgude threatened him by showing a revolver strapped to his waist.
Police have registered an FIR against Damgude and five others under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Arms Act.
During a meeting with the police commissioner, Congress leaders also cited the recent violent confrontation involving BJP and Congress workers outside the Congress Bhavan and urged the police chief to convene an all-party meeting to ensure such incidents don’t recur.
"We submitted a memorandum to the police commissioner and sought strict action against those involved in attacking Pawar. Instead of arresting Damgude and others, police let them off after serving a notice," said Congress leader Prashant Jagtap.
He alleged that the recent incident outside Congress Bhavan and the attack on Pawar reflect the BJP's "increasing high-handedness" in the city and the harassment of the opposition.
Meanwhile, Damgude told reporters that Pawar had used abusive language against him during a recent TV debate.
"Yesterday, after the debate, he used objectionable words. When I sought an explanation, he reiterated the same, which led to the incident," he said.
Damgude acknowledged that he possesses a licensed firearm but refuted Pawar's allegation that he threatened him with the weapon.
