Kanwalpreet banned for two years

Punjab Police defender Kanwalpreet Singh has been suspended for two years from the game for attacking Deepak Thakur during a domestic hockey tournament last month, the Indian Hockey Federation said on Monday.

Thakur had to be hospitalised after being beaten up by Kanwalpreet during a Super League match in the Ranjit Singh tournament between Punjab Police and Indian Oil in Delhi.

"After the incident we had got the report as well as the recommendations from the tournament committee. Going through the matter, IHF president K P S Gill suspended the player for two years," IHF secretary K Jothikumaran said over phone from Hyderabad.

Deploring the incident, Jothikumaran said teams like Punjab Police would be asked to discourage such acts of indiscipline.

"We will be writing to the department not to encourage such acts. This is highly deplorable," the IHF secretary said.

Kanwalpreet had already been barred by his employers, Punjab Police, for six months following the incident.

Thakur had suffered a nasal fracture and hand injuries and had to spend a couple of days in a Delhi hospital following the assault, at the Shivaji stadium on February 25.

Jothikumaran said the IHF is also investigating claims made by another IOC player, Vikramjit Singh, that he was beaten up by Punjab forwards Gagan Ajit Singh and Daljit Singh after a match between the two sides at the senior National Championships in Hyderabad on Sunday.

Vikramjit had accused the two players of hitting him with a hockey stick near the players' dressing room after Punjab's 0-2 loss in a Super League match.

"We had an inquiry after the tournament director, Peter Menezes, gave his recommendations. Both the teams and the players presented their cases before the technical committee," he said.

Jothikumaran, however, did not reveal the outcome of the hearing.

"This is what I can say at this moment and nothing more than that."