Syed Modi
Encyclopedia
Syed Modi was an India
n badminton
player, and an eight-time National Badminton champion
(1980-87). He won the Austrian International
in 1983 and 1984 and 1982 Commonwealth Games
, Men's singles title. His play displayed a mix of stylist Suresh Goel
, of whom he was a protege, and the effectiveness of Prakash Padukone
, whom he succeed as a National Champion.
Modi was murdered on 28 July 1988 in Lucknow
as he came out of the K. D. Singh Babu Stadium
after a practice session. After his death, a badminton tournament
was constituted in his memory, "Syed Modi Memorial", All India Syed Modi badminton championship hosted each year at Lucknow
, which turned into "Syed Modi International Challenge" in 2004, and starting December 2009 it would turn into "Syed Modi Grand Prix", organized by Badminton Association of India. The Railways
of which he was an employee, opened the Syed Modi Railway stadium and auditorium at his native place, Gorakhpur.
, Uttar Pradesh
, where he was brought up and received his education. He was born Syed Mehdi but while playing a junior tournament in Mumbai his surname was wrongly written as Modi, which thereafter was continued to be used by him.
as a Welfare Officer, in Gorakhpur
and later shifted to Lucknow. Syed Modi became junior national champion in 1976 and trained under P.K. Bhandari till 1982, and thereafter under Dipu Ghosh, National Coach of Indian team.
In time, he became eight-time national badminton champion; won the Austrian International in 1983 and '84; won singles bronze in '82 Asian Games
and received the Arjuna Award
in 1981. At 1982 Commonwealth Games
, he beat England's Nick Yates, 7-15, 15-5, 15-7 to take home the Men's singles crown. He later married Amita, a fellow badminton player.
Modi was shot dead on 28 July 1988 evening at the age of 27, as he was coming out of KD Singh Babu stadium, Lucknow after a routine practice. A brilliant career was cut shot and a severe blow was dealt to badminton
in India as Modi was touted to be a superstar like Prakash Padukone
.
, an Indian politician, a former Janata Dal Rajya Sabha member and a Congress Party Lok Sabha member from Amethi
, politician Akhilesh Singh, and Akhilesh's henchmen — Bhagwati Singh alias Pappu, Jitendra Singh alias Tinku, Amar Bahadur Singh and Balai Singh. The UP government recommended a CBI probe into the case, which in turn named the seven in its chargesheet filed on 7 Nov 1998. While Amita, Sanjay and Akhilesh were chargesheeted for conspiracy, the others were named for executing the act. Amita and Sanjay Singh challenged the chargesheet, before the sessions judge who dropped the case against them on Sept 17, 1990. Amita eventually married Sanjay Singh and changed her name from Amita Modi to Amita Singh. Akhilesh was exonerated by Allahabad High Court
in 1996, subsequently all the three discharges were upheld by the Supreme Court. Out of the remaining four accused Amar Bahadur Singh was murdered and Balai Singh died during the course of trial, thus the remaining two accused, Bhagwati Singh and Jitendra, were put on trial by the CBI, though Jitendra Singh was also exonerated later.
On 22 August 2009, nearly two decades after the murder the accused Bhagwati Singh, the lone surviving accused, was found guilty on two counts under Section 302 (murder) and Section 27 (possessing illegal arms) of IPC, by a Lucknow sessions court, which sentenced him to life imprisonment though the CBI had sought death sentence for him, plus from the life sentence, he was also given Rs 40,000 fine as also five years' RI and Rs 10,000 fine for recovery of unauthorized weapon from his possession.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
player, and an eight-time National Badminton champion
Indian National Badminton Championships
The Indian National Badminton Championships is a tournament organized to crown the best badminton players in India since 1934.Until into the 1960s years were open the championships and also foreign players could play the championships. That is why the Dane Erland Kops is in the winner lists.-21st...
(1980-87). He won the Austrian International
Austrian International (badminton)
The Austrian International in badminton is an international open held in Austria since 1965. In the initial years they took place later annually every two years, but since 1973 it has been held annually.-Previous winners:-External links:**...
in 1983 and 1984 and 1982 Commonwealth Games
1982 Commonwealth Games
The 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia from 30 September–9 October 1982. The Opening Ceremony was held at the QEII Stadium , in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan. The QEII Stadium was also the venue which was used for the athletics and archery competitions during the...
, Men's singles title. His play displayed a mix of stylist Suresh Goel
Suresh Goel
Suresh Goel was Indian national badminton champion and a recipient of Arjuna award. He was noted for his extremely deceptive strokesSuresh Goel was born at Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh in 1943...
, of whom he was a protege, and the effectiveness of Prakash Padukone
Prakash Padukone
Prakash Padukone is a former badminton player from Karnataka, India. Among other championships, he won the All England Championship and became the first Indian to do so. Prakash was awarded the Padma Sri in 1982...
, whom he succeed as a National Champion.
Modi was murdered on 28 July 1988 in Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
as he came out of the K. D. Singh Babu Stadium
K. D. Singh Babu Stadium
The K.D. Singh Babu Stadium is a Test cricket stadium named after the famous hockey player K. D. Singh in Lucknow, India.It replaced the University Ground as the premier cricket ground. The stadium hosts domestic competitions regularly. It is located near the busy Hazratganj area of downtown...
after a practice session. After his death, a badminton tournament
Tournament
A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...
was constituted in his memory, "Syed Modi Memorial", All India Syed Modi badminton championship hosted each year at Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
, which turned into "Syed Modi International Challenge" in 2004, and starting December 2009 it would turn into "Syed Modi Grand Prix", organized by Badminton Association of India. The Railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
of which he was an employee, opened the Syed Modi Railway stadium and auditorium at his native place, Gorakhpur.
Early life and education
Syed Modi was born in 1962, in a lower middle-class Muslim family, in the town of Sardarnagar, 5 km from Chauri ChauraChauri Chaura
Chauri Chaura is a town near Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. The town is known most for an event in February 1922 during the British Raj when a police chowki was set on fire by a mob of angry citizens, killing 23 policemen inside.-Background:In the early 1920s, Indians, led by Mahatma Gandhi,...
, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, where he was brought up and received his education. He was born Syed Mehdi but while playing a junior tournament in Mumbai his surname was wrongly written as Modi, which thereafter was continued to be used by him.
Career
He worked with NE RailwaysNorth Eastern Railway (India)
The North Eastern Railway is one of the sixteen railway zones in India. It is headquartered at Gorakhpur and comprises Lucknow and Varanasi divisions as well as reorganized Izzatnagar division....
as a Welfare Officer, in Gorakhpur
Gorakhpur
Gorakhpur is a city in the eastern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, near the border with Nepal. It is the administrative headquarters of Gorakhpur District and Gorakhpur Division. Gorakhpur is one of the proposed capitals of the Purvanchal state which is yet to be formed...
and later shifted to Lucknow. Syed Modi became junior national champion in 1976 and trained under P.K. Bhandari till 1982, and thereafter under Dipu Ghosh, National Coach of Indian team.
In time, he became eight-time national badminton champion; won the Austrian International in 1983 and '84; won singles bronze in '82 Asian Games
Asian Games
The Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organised by the...
and received the Arjuna Award
Arjuna award
The Arjuna Awards were instituted in 1961 by the government of India to recognize outstanding achievement in National sports. The award carries a cash prize of 500,000, a bronze statuette of Arjuna and a scroll....
in 1981. At 1982 Commonwealth Games
1982 Commonwealth Games
The 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia from 30 September–9 October 1982. The Opening Ceremony was held at the QEII Stadium , in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan. The QEII Stadium was also the venue which was used for the athletics and archery competitions during the...
, he beat England's Nick Yates, 7-15, 15-5, 15-7 to take home the Men's singles crown. He later married Amita, a fellow badminton player.
Modi was shot dead on 28 July 1988 evening at the age of 27, as he was coming out of KD Singh Babu stadium, Lucknow after a routine practice. A brilliant career was cut shot and a severe blow was dealt to badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
in India as Modi was touted to be a superstar like Prakash Padukone
Prakash Padukone
Prakash Padukone is a former badminton player from Karnataka, India. Among other championships, he won the All England Championship and became the first Indian to do so. Prakash was awarded the Padma Sri in 1982...
.
Murder case
The scandal surrounding Modi's murder attracted worldwide attention and remains unsolved with those charged having been set free.Doubts have been raised against Modi's wife Amita and her alleged paramour Sanjay SinghSanjay Singh
Dr. Sanjay Singh/Sinh is a member of the Parliament of India, Lok Sabha from Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, earlier was elected from Amethi / Amethi in India from 1998 to 1999 and earlier a member of Rajya Sabha from 1990 to 1996. He has been a controversial political figure...
, an Indian politician, a former Janata Dal Rajya Sabha member and a Congress Party Lok Sabha member from Amethi
Amethi (Lok Sabha constituency)
Amethi Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. This constituency covers the entire Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Nagar district-Assembly segments:...
, politician Akhilesh Singh, and Akhilesh's henchmen — Bhagwati Singh alias Pappu, Jitendra Singh alias Tinku, Amar Bahadur Singh and Balai Singh. The UP government recommended a CBI probe into the case, which in turn named the seven in its chargesheet filed on 7 Nov 1998. While Amita, Sanjay and Akhilesh were chargesheeted for conspiracy, the others were named for executing the act. Amita and Sanjay Singh challenged the chargesheet, before the sessions judge who dropped the case against them on Sept 17, 1990. Amita eventually married Sanjay Singh and changed her name from Amita Modi to Amita Singh. Akhilesh was exonerated by Allahabad High Court
Allahabad High Court
The Allahabad High Court or the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad is a high court having jurisdiction over the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh since 1950...
in 1996, subsequently all the three discharges were upheld by the Supreme Court. Out of the remaining four accused Amar Bahadur Singh was murdered and Balai Singh died during the course of trial, thus the remaining two accused, Bhagwati Singh and Jitendra, were put on trial by the CBI, though Jitendra Singh was also exonerated later.
On 22 August 2009, nearly two decades after the murder the accused Bhagwati Singh, the lone surviving accused, was found guilty on two counts under Section 302 (murder) and Section 27 (possessing illegal arms) of IPC, by a Lucknow sessions court, which sentenced him to life imprisonment though the CBI had sought death sentence for him, plus from the life sentence, he was also given Rs 40,000 fine as also five years' RI and Rs 10,000 fine for recovery of unauthorized weapon from his possession.