The Lucknow administration has blamed three members of the Queen’s baton relay team for the controversy that erupted on Saturday when a replica of the baton was taken to Sahara Shaher without requisite permission.
In report sent to the government, the Lucknow district magistrate Anil Sagar has blamed Lt-Gen. (retd) Raj Kadyan who heads the Queen’s baton relay committee, Alka Lamba, advisor and Shruti Menon, project officer, for the lapse and said that the three members were primarily responsible for the entire confusion and controversy since they neither sought permission nor informed the district officials about the route diversion.
The state government is now forwarding the report to the Centre for necessary action. It may be recalled that controversy marred the Queen’s baton relay in Lucknow on Saturday when a prototype of the baton was displayed at Sahara Shaher. The district administration went into tizzy as soon as it was informed that the baton was being displayed at the corporate head office even though such a programme was not on schedule.
The district magistrate had said on Saturday that the manner in which Sahara stepped into the programme was “condemnable” and an insult to the historicity of the Commonwealth Games baton. The baton relay was marred by more controversy on Sunday when Ms Alka Lamba reportedly slapped Anandeshwar Pandey, general secretary of the UP Olympic Association, in full public view at a local school. Ms Lamba claimed that Mr Pandey had misbehaved with her which prompted her to turn aggressive.