Chennai, Jul 25 (IANS): Ramesh Parameswaran, former assistant coach of the Indian men's hockey team, has hinted that politics played a major role in Basavaraj, who was involved in a sex scandal, being "promoted" from a still photographer to a videographer to a video analyst of the national women's squad.

Parameswaran, who was assistant to national coaches Vasudevan Baskaran and then Joaquim Carvalho for over a decade, said: "Basavaraj was basically a photographer assigned by the Sports Authority of India to take pictures of players for visa purposes. He had no other role to play."

"My question is very simple: How does an ordinary photographer become a videographer and a video analyst attached to the Indian team with absolutely no hockey background? Obviously, there is more to it than meets the eye," Parameswaran told IANS.

Basavaraj was suspended last week after publication of pictures that allegedly showed him in a "compromising position" with an unnamed female.

He was associated with the women’s team whose coach M.K. Kaushik, too, is named in a sexual harassment scandal following complaints by a player. Kaushik has since resigned his post, while claiming innocence.

"It is imperative that the authorities appoint qualified persons for such critical positions like a video analyst so that the person can provide inputs to enhance the performance of the players and the team. The antecedents and credentials of candidates should be thoroughly checked before sending the person with the national team," Parameswaran added.