Credit: PTI File Photo
New Delhi: Legendary pistol marksman and Manu Bhaker's personal coach Jaspal Rana on Thursday claimed he was asked to leave the Karni Singh shooting range here by India's high performance director Pierre Beauchamp, kicking off a controversy in which the national federation appeared to be siding with the Canadian.
One of the country's most decorated shooters, Rana, told PTI that he had visited the range to oversee Manu's training as the Commonwealth Games and Youth Olympics gold medallist prepares for the upcoming Paris Olympics.
Rana said Beauchamp cited the "SOP" (Standard Operating Procedure) put in place by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) and asked him to leave.
"I was standing quite far from where the shooters were practising. But he came and asked me that I can't stand there, that I need to leave the range, or I will get into trouble with the NRAI," Rana said.
"I told him to not worry about me. I told him that I am Arjuna Awardee and have been a national coach. But he said you are not a national coach (now), so please leave. My question is who is he to stop me? What is his background?" the 47-year-old added.
In response, the NRAI said the SOPs are to be "adhered to in better interest of the sport".
"Shooting has won record quotas for the upcoming Olympics. The hard work of athletes and coaches/support staff is supplemented with careful coordination by the High-Performance Director. The shooters and personal coaches are advised to strictly adhere to SOPs during camps/competitions in better interest of the sport," the NRAI said.
Rana, who has had a hand in moulding some of the country's young shooters, including Manu, into solid performers in international tournaments, said he would be writing to the NRAI president Kalikesh Singh Deo and will also apprise the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) about the matter.
"What does he (Beauchamp) know about Indian shooting? What does he know about shooting? In fact, after he was done with me, he had approached Manu on the firing line and asked her 'go and tell your coach to leave the range'. Can you imagine?" Rana said.
Rana, a multiple Asian Games gold medallist, last year returned as coach of one of India's best shooters Manu, nearly two years after a split that hogged the headlines for days.
Manu, the winner of several gold medals at World Cups, a silver medallist at the World Championships and a champion at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, had parted ways with Rana because of differences in the run-up to the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Manu's split with Rana was cited as the main reason for her forgettable performance in Tokyo, where she also suffered a pistol malfunction that almost left her in tears.
Manu is one of the 17 Indian shooters to have secured quota for the Paris Olympics.