Why India Have Ashamed Sarita Devi By Not Backing At The Need Of The Hour!

Sarita Devi controversy in Asian Games 2014…

So a female Indian boxer (basically from Northeast), lands up in a controversy and the nation goes bonkers.

An incident that sparked up controversy regarding a match between Sarita Devi from India against home favourite Jina Park and in turn, ended up as the silver-medallist.

Sarita, who was categorised in the 60kg boxing match, was clearly the superior of the two pugilists but the judges thought otherwise. In turn, the Indian boxer appealed but eventually lost an appeal against the judges’ decision and tearfully made her way to the medal ceremony which was there to see to every Indian.

At the podium, the boxer cried her heart out and refused to wear the medal.

Soon after, she walked towards her bout opponent, hugged her and garlanded the medal around the opponent’s neck. Soon after, speaking to the press Sarita spoke about the controversy at the podium.

She said, “It’s not that I did not want to accept the medal. I accepted it and then gave it back to the Koreans. I had to do this to continue with my boxing career or the memory of this incident would have stayed on in my mind. I would now go back and hug my infant child. I am prepared for any consequences. Not one Indian official came to us and consoled or even spoke to us,” she said.

Here comes the sad part – none of the Indian boxing officials came forward to the help of the female boxer. Even as Sarita kept weeping in the corner, our ‘disgusted’ officials, shied away from the limelight. Speaking to a news channel Sarita said, “Indians should support me for my actions. I have done it for my country. None of the officials who came with me protested. I have been representing India for 14-15 years now but no one supported me when I needed it the most,” she said.

Such is the apathy of our Indian sport that no official comes forward to help out a fellow countryman. Just when India is going nuts about MC Mary Kom and her gold medal, on the other hand, some of us (even don’t know who is Sarita Devi) is just hardly concerned about the pugilist’s plight.

Thus, even AIBA who threaten to sue Sarita and strip of her medal, should think from a human being point of view. At the end of the day, Sarita is just a human being like you and me. Even though the female boxer is working day and night to reach the superior level, the former might not have been trained to deal the hardships and the heartbreaks. And it comes more painstakingly harder when one of our OWN, backstabs on the front.

Even if Sarita has lost the fight and the medal, in our eyes and soul, she is a winner and has displayed sportsmanship like no one else!