Table Tennis Star Soumyajit Ghosh Suspended Following Rape Charges

The Executive Board of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) on Friday suspended player Soumyajit Ghosh, pending a police investigation following rape charges hurled against him by a teenager.

During the provisional suspension, the paddler will not be able to participate in any national or international tournament.

The executive board, based on legal opinion sought by the TTFI, took the unanimous decision following a video conference.

"The executive board of the TTFI, taking cognizance of the media reports and the FIR filed against Soumyajit Ghosh, has unanimously decided to suspend the player and restrain him from participation in all tournaments until further orders," the TTFI said in a statement.

"Accordingly, the executive board members felt that the charges levelled against Ghosh are of grievous nature and they warranted placing him under provisional suspension immediately."

Meanwhile, the TTFI has decided to issue a show cause notice to Ghosh, asking him to explain his stand on the FIR lodged by the teenager.

Soumyajit Ghosh had got into a relationship with the girl in 2014 after interacting with her first on the social media. Meanwhile, the girl has claimed the table tennis player forcibly raped at his flat as well as in Siliguri, his hometown and later promising her to marry in future. She is accusing the player of getting her pregnant and threatening her to get rid of the child by undergoing aborting.

However, one of Gosh's relatives has denied all the allegations on the athlete, saying all this was done to defame Gosh. "This is a conspiracy to distract Gosh ahead of the upcoming Commonwealth Games and extract money from him through blackmailing," the relative said speaking to the news agency ANI.