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College coach thrashes shuttler
A national-level shuttler was beaten up by a coach at the state government-run Guru Govind Singh Sports College on Monday.
A national-level shuttler was beaten up by a coach at the state government-run Guru Govind Singh Sports College in Lucknow on Monday.
Vinay Verma, a Class XII student, sustained serious injuries on his right elbow, knee, chest and back. He has been advised a week’s rest, and could miss the prestigious All-India Badminton Championship, starting in Bareilly next week.
The incident happened after morning assembly. Vinay and 40 other students were told to assume the Murga (the position involves bending over and holding your ears) position as punishment.
Vinay's trousers were a bit tight and he couldn't bend properly.
That left ad hoc cricket coach Pankaj Pandey fuming, and he reportedly started hitting the boy with a piece of broken chair. He continued hitting him until fellow students raised the alarm.
"I had gone there to register my attendance. But the coach started hurling abuses at me and asked me to bend down with others.
"And when I couldn't, he started beating me like an animal. Even when I fell down, he kept kicking and punching me," said Vinay. "I was saved only after a few seniors intervened."
The other students, too, are feeling terrified. "We have never seen a coach beating up someone like this. It was inhuman and the coach should be punished," said a senior student of the college.
The coach, however, denied having beaten up the boy. He said that he just scolded Vinay as he was making noise during assembly. The college authorities apparently tried to hush up the issue and sent the boy to college's authorized hospital, Vishal Nursing Home.
College principal Anil Kumar Banodha, though, confirmed the incident, but had a different story to tell. Claiming that the boy and his father had already apologised, he said it was a disciplinary issue.
"Some senior students don't like to abide by the rules, and keep creating problems on regular basis," he said.
Expressing concern over the incident, Director, Uttar Padesh Sports, Hari Om, assured tough action against the coach. "It's really unfortunate, and I will order an inquiry. If the coach is found guilty, we will remove him from the job," he told Hindustan Times.
Vinay's guardian AR Verma was livid, "I have discussed the issue with the college authorities and I have been assured that strict action will be taken," he said.
Hindustan Times sources claimed Pankaj Pandey has a history of violent behaviour. He had allegedly beaten up another athlete last year for turning up in jeans for dinner.
