An Indian court has ordered the head of the organizing committee of last year's controversy-ridden Commonwealth Games to be held in police custody, a day after he was arrested on charges of corruption.
Police will hold Suresh Kalmadi for eight days from Tuesday as police investigate the charges against him.
A spokeswoman for the Central Bureau of Investigation said Monday Suresh Kalmadi was detained for allegedly favoring a Swiss company in the purchase of timers and scoring equipment for the $6 billion event, which was meant to showcase the country.
Kalmadi, who is a lawmaker of the ruling Congress Party, insists he is innocent. His arrest is the latest embarrassment for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government, which has scrambled to defend itself against graft scandals that have stymied its reform agenda and could deter foreign investment.
On Monday, police charged the daughter of the chief minister of southern Tamil Nadu state with corruption in connection with the alleged sale of telecom licenses at below-market rates. Those sales may have deprived the government of up to $40 billion in revenues.
Earlier this month, Indian police formally filed charges against former Telecom Minister A. Raja and eight other people in connection with the telecom licensing scandal.
The Central Bureau of Investigation said Raja and others conspired to sell mobile phone licenses at cut-rate prices to the benefit of a few companies.
Raja's secretary, a former telecom secretary and executives from three Indian companies involved in the scheme were among those charged.
Raja was jailed after resigning from his post last year. The scandal has enraged the opposition and sparked protests against the administration of Prime Minister Singh.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
