Marathon kid's coach Biranchi Das arrested

Bhubaneswar, Aug 13 (UNI) The city police today arrested "marathon kid" Budhia Singh's coach cum mentor Biranchi Das for allegedly torturing and assaulting the child.

Mr Das was arrested after Budhia's mother, Sukanti Singh, filed an FIR with the Bargarh police station alleging that her son was subjected to mental torture and physical assault by Biranchi Das.

The Baragarh officer in-charge said Mr Das was arrested under section 321, 341, 323, 294 and 506 of the IPC and section 23 of the Juvenile Justice Act.

Mr Das told reporters that all the allegations lavelled against him by Budhia's mother were baseless and motivated and denied that he had ever assaulted Budhia, whom he had adopted as his son and brought him to the limelight.

Budhia shot into fame on May 2 in 2006 when he covered a distance of 65 kilometres non-stop run from Puri to Bhubaneswar and etched his name into the Limca Book of Record as the world's youngest marathon kid.

Mr Das said Budhia's mother had lavelled all these baseless allegations against him after he expelled Budhia's sister from the Judo Association hall where she was staying with other inmates for her objectionable and indiscipline action. Budhia, who has been all along staying with his coach, is now staying in a slum with his mother, who has decided not to send her son to Mr Das.

Police said the marathon kid would be sent to the hospital for medical examination and coach Biranchi Das would be forwarded to the court later in the day.

UNI