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There were others who took decisions too: Kalmadi

December 24, 2010 16:57 IST
Suresh Kalmadi, president of the Indian Olympic Association and Commonwealth Games organising committee chairman, has claimed that he was not the only one who was responsible for the decisions taken for hosting the mega sporting event.

Speaking to media persons after a team of Central Bureau of Investigation, Income Tax and Enforcement Directorate left his Kamaraj Lane residence in New Delhi, Kalmadi said: "I welcome the investigations. I would fully cooperate with the agency. Those documents, which they have not been able to locate, would be traced and handed over the agency."

Asked if he was responsible for the decisions taken by the organising committee, including sanctioning of 2 lakh pounds to AN Films of Lodon, Kalmadi said: "I am not the only person who took these controversial
decisions. They were jointly taken by all members of the committee."
 
The CBI team, which landed at his Delhi residence at 7 am in the morning, searched his house for more than nine hours and seized three computers, their hard disks and some files.

Kalmadi's private secretary was then taken to the Indian Olympic Committee office in South Delhi for tracing relevant files.

An eight-member team also searched Kalmadi's farmhouse at Khadakwasla near Pune, the 'Sai Service' petrol station owned by him and also the residence of one his secretaries in the city, sources said.

All doors and windows of the building were closely shut by the investigators and only Kalmadi's personal securitymen, and local policemen were visible in the compound with a high rise gate.
Onkar Singh in New Delhi