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India should hang its head in shame
Subir Bhaumik Former BBC Correspondent
India should hang its head in shame
PHOTO : Sarita crying on the podium at Incheon and refusing the medal

India loves the Northeast when it gets something out of it. They adore Mary Kom because she gave them yet another gold at this Asiad at Incheon. But look at how bravely Sarita Devi fought only to be denied by referees who seem to have taken a decision before the bout was over to award the tie to the Korean. But what were Indian officials doing ! Why could they not lodge a protest at such a preposterous decision !

The Sports Secretary was watching the bout alongwith the Chef-de-Mission Adil Sumariwala and a host of other officials. They were expecting Sarita to reach the finals -- and when she was undone by the coaches, they just abandoned her. You are a heroine if you get us a medal -- or else you dont count. Sarita is right in claiming that not one official came to even console her, let alone protest a very partial decision. For those of us who watched the bout on television and who know a bit about boxing, the bout was Sarita's,  She fought like a tigress and for every punch she took , she landed three on her Korean opponent. Mostly head punches that gets you more points than the ones that land on chest or abdomen. Indian boxing coach Anup Kumar, who was under pressure to prepare Pooja Rani for a bout soon after in a different weight category was too hard pressed. He needed the help of some of those officials who were sitting there to come and help him out. None volunteered.  This is a national shame and a good example of how the mainland treats the northeast in matters of crucial decisions. This has not changed since Nehru decided to leave Assam to its fate with the Chinese army knocking at the gates of Tezpur. You dont want the refinery in Assam and shift it to Barauni because you see a Chinese threat. But that threat no longer exists when you want to exploit the hydel power of Arunachal -- so you sign up 157 MOUs for setting up hydel plants, all within the range of Chinese Air Force, The list of such double standards is endless.

It was heartening to watch a TV show mostly focussed on Sarita in CNN-IBN . Anchor Digvijay brought a lot of viewers across India together in demonstrative solidarity with Sarita who is also a world champion and a mother too. Top boxing official Brig PKM Raja and many other officials were not only critical of the decision against Sarita but also of callous officials who had not swung to support Sarita in lodging a protest. But it was the man on the street in Calcutta, Hyderabad, Mumbai , Delhi and elsewhere in the country who came out in full support of Sarita. They made her feel Indian , not the idiots who wear Indian blazers and travel abroad as sports officials . In a way, this is the Indian story. It is the officials and politicians, the men in the corridors of power who dont come across as Indian with even an iota of national spirit. They talk about it in monologues when given a chance but they dont demonstrate it when it matters. The man on the street does that -- be it when he has to rush to an army recruitment camp during the Kargil war or when it comes to supporting Sarita. 
 
Now Sarita has taken a principled stand by refusing the bronze medal . During the ceremony, she gave it away to the Korean who triumphed over her and refused to take it back, weeping profusely. If the officials had atleast consoled her after the bout, this emotional outburst could have been avoided.   She may face a tough punitive ban for her conduct. This calls for such fast action. The Indian sports minister Sarbananda Sonowal is from northeast . He has to get his government involved in saving Sarita;s career. If necessary, the Prime Minister must intervene and sack a few officials who fail to protest the ludicrous judgement against Sarita or atleast console her to prevent the awkward scene at the prize ceremony. That will atleast send a strong message to those who accompany teams and go shopping and merry making at the taxpayer's expense , ignoring the call of duty. The Indian government must seek from the world boxing federation a sympathetic consideration of Sarita's conduct , given the provocation. Sonowal must get his act and stick together to swing against errant, irresponsible officials who failed Sarita -- and India. He must move the right corners to save Sarita;s career. Like Mary Kom , Sarita is also a medal prospect at Rio Olympics . 

Sonowal should not only move decisively to save Sarita's career but also ask his boss why Chinese investments are discouraged from coming to Northeast. Why must all of it go to Gujarat and Maharastra ! Why must Northeast pay for being close to China ! People like Sonowal and Khiren Rijjiju are ministers because people in the region have voted for them . If they fail the people of their own region, who will vote for them ! None of them are Sourav Ganguly who was offered a Lok sabha ticket from anywhere in India and a Sports Minister 's position by the BJP.  They are not so important for the BJP as to expect a ticket from anywhere else. So they better take care of the region that has elected them. Or else !

(Mr. Subir Bhaumik is a veteran journalist, former BBC correspondant and author of  two well acclaimed books ‘Insurgent Crossfire’ and ‘Troubled Periphery’) 

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