Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) has terminated the services of Naval Singh with immediate effect after the Paralympic gold-medallist Sumit Antil accused the Dronacharya awardee coach of mental harassment and verbal abuse in a complaint to the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
In a letter dated Friday but not addressed to any particular individual, PCI president Devendra Jhajharia said Singh has been removed from all Paralympic Committee activities.
“On receiving complaints from Paralympic medallist Mr. Sumit Antil and several others regarding alleged misconduct, inappropriate behaviour, and harassment by coach Mr. Naval Singh, the matter was carefully reviewed. The complaints were duly examined, and the athletes were given a fair opportunity to present their concerns,” the letter said.
“Because the allegations were serious and there was initial evidence of misconduct, the Paralympic Committee of India held an emergency meeting… After reviewing the oral hearings and written complaints, and considering the seriousness of the concerns and the need to protect athletes’ interests and maintain proper standards, the Committee found that the alleged conduct did not meet expected standards.
“Therefore, the Committee unanimously decided to terminate the services of coach Naval Singh with immediate effect and remove him from all Paralympic Committee activities,” Jhajharia wrote in the letter.
Some PCI officials pointed out that Singh hasn’t been working as a para athletics coach since 2025. They said he has only been training able-bodied javelin thrower Sachin Yadav, who finished fourth at last year’s World Championships in Tokyo.
“Since 2025, Naval Singh is not designated as the coach of Para Athletics by the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI). This, we have clarified to the ministry,” a PCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
Earlier, Antil, a gold-medallist at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Paralympics, had also alleged that Singh was attempting disturb top athletes like him and Neeraj Chopra.
“He (Naval Singh) mentally harassed us and abused our, as in mine and Neeraj’s, families. He seems mentally unstable,” Antil had told PTI.
Sumit Antil, who is one of India’s top hopes for a gold medal in the F64 category (for athletes with a leg amputation) at the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics, made serious allegations against his coach Singh. He said Singh would intentionally send recordings of his abusive comments to team managers so that they would eventually reach the athletes.
Antil, a three-time world champion from 2023 to 2025, said he filed a complaint with the Sports Authority of India (SAI). His complaint was also supported by Neeraj and fellow para javelin throwers Navdeep Singh and Sandeep Chaudhary.
SAI confirmed that it has received the complaint but clarified that Singh is not its employee. According to SAI, Naval has been hired by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) to train another top athlete as part of a national coaching camp.
