Rashid’s acts of indiscipline got him banned: DGC chief

By Rohit Mundayur

New Delhi, May 27 (IANS) Delhi Golf Club President Major Ravinder Singh Bedi (retired) on Monday dismissed golfer Rashid Khan's claim that the club has been discriminating against him due to his humble background. Khan and nine other caddie-turned-golfers were made to spend over three hours at the Tughlaq Road police station in Lutyens Delhi on Saturday after an argument over using the club's driving range.

Speaking to IANS, Bedi presented a different picture and said that Khan and the other golfers' repeated attempts at "causing disrepute to the club" and causing ruckus "virtually on a weekly basis" had led getting them banned by the general committee in January.

"All along, he (Khan) has been getting playing rights in this club for which he didn't pay a penny. He earns in crores but he insisted on playing rights which we granted him. No club or institution can survive if we allow hooliganism and indiscipline," he said.

While Khan had said in his tweet on Saturday that he had called the police after not being allowed to enter into the club, Bedi said that it was the club authorities that called the police first.

"They (Khan and the other golfers who were arrested) came with their bags and said that we want to go and play. We will pay the green fees. The guard said that your entry into the club is banned so there is no question of you being allowed to go in. They said that if we are not allowed in, we will sit here and not allow any traffic to go. Then, we called the police...

"I personally called the DCP. Our security staff called the police and all these will be reflected in the records," he guaranteed.

The incident is part of a long standing feud between Khan and the DGC. While the 28-year-old two-time Asian Champion had stated that he was being discriminated because of his humble background, Bedi said that he and the other golfers involved in this wanted to project this image and garner sympathy.

"Khan's aim is that he wants to gain membership with the club," said the DGC President. "There are some 3,000 or 4,000 (people) in the waiting list of members and that goes to anywhere between 30 and 35 years. He has not even applied and wants membership. He doesn't state as much elsewhere but this is what he has been looking for. Let him apply and wait for his turn," he said.

Bedi said that Rashid was "picked up as a boy" and the DGC has helped him through various programmes to reach where he is now.

"The bigger role in this has been played by the ladies of the club who have been teaching him the various niceties of life. They have been accompanying him on his tournaments when he was growing up, looking after his daily needs, washing his clothes during that period. This is the extent to which the club has gone to help him and then he goes to the press to bad mouth us saying that he has come from a certain background, so the club is discriminating against him and not giving membership for which he has never applied. He is using all these as pressure tactics to get it (membership)," he said.

(Rohit Mundayur can be contacted on rohit.m@ians.in)