On Sunday, in a felicitation ceremony for the Khelo India players in Jharkhand, players were subjected to some serious insult. The event was organised by the state organisers of Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha. In a shocking act, the players were made to distribute the refreshments to the guests present at the event. Later in the same event, ministers facilitated the players and got pictures clicked.

The ceremony was conducted to honour the state team of Jharkhand, which has qualified to play in Khelo India Tournament. BJP minister Chandreshwar Prasad Singh was also present at the event along with the AVBP leader Dharampal Singh and other ministers. The ministers had come to felicitate the players and motivate them for their upcoming tournament. But, it turned out to be an event to take jibe on the players.

As seen in the videos posted by Journalist Anand Dutta, the players were asked to distribute tea and biscuits to the guests. One of the organisers is also seen in the video, who is asking the players to distribute the snacks to the guest.

Posted by Anand Dutta on Sunday, July 22, 2018

Posted by Anand Dutta on Sunday, July 22, 2018

After the event, one of the players who is seen distributing the tea in the video told our source on the condition of anonymity that if the players would have refused to do so, then they could have landed in big trouble. According to our source, the players were scared to talk about the incident as they fear that if might axe their chance to play in the Khelo India tournament.

This appalling incident happened at the Bharatiya Janata Party state office, where many state BJP and ABVP leaders were present. The minister later garlanded all the players. The team of 65 members then left for New Delhi on the same day to attend Khelo India tournament, that is supposed to be held on July 24.

Prime minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah are going to inaugurate the event. More than 8,000 players of 27 states and 733 districts are going to participate in the tournament.

The minister’s response

The Logical Indian spoke to the BJP minister, Chandreshwar Prasad Singh, who was present at the event. When asked about the event, he says that he is unaware of any such incident. He says that he went there to just felicitate the players. “I went there to congratulate the players, I garlanded them, got photos clicked and then left the place. Who was distributing tea or biscuits, I have no clue,” he said.

When we told him about the entire episode, the minister says that if the players were just distributing the tea to the guests and not the VVIPs, then it is okay. “There is no harm in distributing the food among themselves,” he added.

Another incident

This is not the first time when our athletes are being subjected to such humiliation. Earlier in April, teenage shooting prodigy Manu Bhaker, who won gold in women’s 10m air pistol at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, was “humiliated” in Haryana. The 16-year-old, Bhaker was asked to sit on the ground during her felicitation ceremony. However, Bhaker later said that “it was respect and not an insult” as she offered the chair to the minister and sat on the floor herself.

The Logical Indian take

In a professional setting and in their own felicitation ceremony, players were not treated with respect. These kinds of things erode the self-esteem of the prospective medal winners. Even though the players are scared of repercussions if they complain, it is the duty of the society to ensure that these talented individuals are nourished and not treated with disdain.