Indian police have arrested the former chief organiser of the Delhi Commonwealth Games as part of a crackdown in a slew of corruption scandals, piling embarrassment on the ruling Congress party-led government as it fights major state elections.
Suresh Kalmadi, a senior Congress party lawmaker, was sacked in November after games organisers were accused of manipulating contracts and inflating bills in an event which was meant to showcase India's rise as a global power but was instead beset by problems.
Kalmadi's arrest puts under renewed scrutiny the $6 billion (3.64 billion pounds) sporting event last October which became embroiled in rows over leaking stadiums, filthy athletes' accommodation and inflated tenders for equipment including treadmills and toilet paper.
'This is an embarrassment for Congress. They have been trying to avert it for as long as possible, and now they will try to confine the damage to Kalmadi, who now seems to be seen as dispensable,' former magazine editor Swapan Dasgupta said.
'I am sceptical they will be able to contain the damage.'
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Singh's government has been roiled by a series of corruption scandals since the middle of last year that have stymied its agenda for economic reform, and undermined business sentiment in one of the world's fastest-growing economies.
Kalmadi was arrested 'for conspiracy to show favour to a private firm based in Switzerland in awarding the contract for timing, scoring and results systems at inflated prices of 1.41 billion rupees (19 million pounds)', said a spokesperson for the Central Bureau of Investigation, Dharini Mishra.
Kalmadi has denied any wrongdoing.
