There was a chaotic brawl at the Karni Singh Shooting Range as two shooters were involved in a fist fight close to the range, a video of which was circulated on social media.
The two shooters involved were Yoginder Pal Singh, who is a former member of the Indian double trap team, and Babar Khan who was there to shoot along with his teenage son.
In the video, the two are seen coming to blows. Other shooters, some with the shotgun in hand, are seen trying to break the two up. The argument was about the number of rounds one can shoot at one go.
Both were at the range shooting under the Come & Play scheme, where only one range was available for outside shooters. The other ranges were being used for the national camps ahead of the upcoming Asian Shooting Championships. Hence, the lack of space which triggered the fight.
They have lodged complaints against each other while National Rifle Association of India said action will be taken against both the shooters, according to a Times of India report. The membership of the shooters has been cancelled, continued the report.
According to a report in The Tribune, Khan said that the fight was because he had come from Ghaziabad and wanted to shoot for longer.
“I was to shoot in the next round as well but he [Yoginder] stopped me. I asked him in what capacity was he telling me not to shoot.
“I was told that I will have to wait till 4pm so I refused. He then raised his voice and our argument began. After an exchange of words I withdrew myself. Then all of a sudden he threw his earmuffs on the ground, abused my mother and rushed towards me. The fight ensued. He hit me and I hit him too,” Khan was quoted as saying by The Tribune.
Singh e-mailed his version to Sports Authority of India DG Sandip Pradhan. “…One thing led to another and both of us raised our voices, and he threatened me to which I replied ‘don’t dry fire at me’. We were both calmed down by the shooters present,” The Tribune continued.
Recently, the Sports Ministry has decided to provide free access to four of its sporting infrastructure, including the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and Karni Singh Shooting range, to federations and athletes from November 1. The decision was made in an effort to promote the Fit India Movement.
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