MOGA: Punjab school judo champion Kirandeep Kaur, 13, has threatened to return her gold medal to protest the selection committee’s bias in sending the girl who came third in the state meet for the national-level championship in Kerala from January 30.
Kirandeep, who is a class VII student at Panjgrayin village in this district, won the gold medal at the recent state-level championship in Jalandhar. She told HT that the authorities had selected the girl who came third in the state meet to participate in the national-level championship as she was related to judo coach Surinder Kumar.
Kirandeep claimed that she was not informed about the selection camp for the national team that was held in Jalandhar from January 17 to 26. She said when she learnt about the meet from other sources and reached the venue
she was turned away by the authorities.
The girl’s father; Binder Singh, is a farmer from Marhi Mustafa village. “On the one hand the Punjab government makes tall claims about schemes for the girl child and on the other my daughter; who has done our area proud, is being made to run from pillar to post for her right: he said.
Binder vowed to move court if Kirandeep was denied justice by the authorities.
Coach Surinder Kumar; however, denied allegations of bias claiming that the selection for the national school judo team had been conducted in a fair manner.
SOURCE-HT
