By IANS
New Delhi : The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) Saturday suspended the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) for not adhering to the federation’s tournament calendar and for allowing positive tested students to go scot-free. The AIU immediately termed the decision as “staged managed”.
AFI secretary Lalit Bhanot verbally announced the decision to suspend the AIU in the first session of the AFI annual general body meeting (AGM). But till the end of the session AIU representative at the AGM, Jitender Singh Naruka, had not received anything in writing.
“AIU’s suspension is the result of a personality clash between two people from AFI and AIU and it was stage managed because this is not how a decision to suspend a body is generally taken,” Naruka told IANS.
“When Bhanot suddenly announced the suspension in his opening remarks, I was surprised. I was virtually left alone to defend the universities as people there started shouting me down,” he said.
AIU was suspended for holding inter-varsity athletics competition three months late, last month. The other AFI charge was that the body had not punished two unnamed athletes who had tested positive in the championships.
Asked what action AIU would take against its suspension, Naruka said: “I am not being provoked by a verbal suspension. Let me see what AFI says in the suspension letter, only then will we take a decision on the future course of action.”