A high-performance national coach for rifle shooters, who is involved in preparations for the upcoming Asian Games, is facing an inquiry by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) for allegedly conducting private coaching at the government-owned Karni Singh Range and discriminating against those who do not attend his sessions.

Manoj Kumar, the head coach for 50m rifle events, is under investigation, and it has been reliably learnt that a hearing was held at the headquarters here on Monday in which grievances from the affected shooters and their guardians were heard.

“We have received not one, but several complaints against this individual and therefore an inquiry is underway right now,” a well-placed SAI source told PTI.

The hearing on Monday was conducted by SAI Deputy Director General Manjushree Dayanand, who heads the SAI’s operations division. Manoj, however, was not in attendance during the hearing but was spoken to individually by SAI officials at an earlier date. He is currently in Hangzhou with the Indian team for the upcoming World Cup starting July 22.

When contacted by PTI, he said, “I have given my reply to SAI, and I have nothing more to say on this.” One of the complainants is the mother of a shooter, who has competed in multiple World Championships, World Cups and Asian Championships.

“We had sent an email to SAI (listing our grievances), and based on that, they called us and our ward. We had written against the High-Performance Coach for rifle shooting,” she told PTI on condition of anonymity.

“We have provided evidence to SAI that the coach in question conducts private coaching at the Karni Singh Range. Even during the national squad camp, he provides personal coaching to select shooters and pressures them into naming him as their coach, insisting that they state he is their official coach,” she asserted.

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) secretary general, Pawan Singh, refuted the charge against the coach and claimed that he was not aware of any ongoing inquiry.

“I am unaware of the matter. Talking about conflict of interest, I don’t think it is true. He is a High-Performance coach appointed by SAI. Definitely, there should be an inquiry to know the truth,” he said.

The mother of the affected shooter also alleged that her daughter had been mentally affected by the coach’s handling of the camp.

“When my ward was part of the TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) before 2025, shooters were required to submit a requisition for a specified quantity of ammunition for practice, competition and the finals.

“When my ward requested 500 rounds, she was allotted only 300. However, when she went to sign the register, she noticed that some TOPS shooters, who were personally coached by the said coach and attended his private coaching sessions, had been allotted 800 rounds of ammunition,” she said.

According to a source, this is not the only case of private coaching at the government facility, as even foreign coaches are indulging in the practice.

Published on Jul 20, 2026