Irony at play: Dera girls out to make country proud in roller sports

Out of the 11 on the roller hockey squad, seven are students of the dera-owned college in Sirsa. And they have all picked up the sport in the dera-run school. The others are from Chandigarh.

As the sect head’s conviction in a rape case and the violence in its aftermath in Panchkula on Friday, here is another side to the Dera Sacha Sauda, Sirsa. The country’s team for the World Roller Sports Games for women — starting August 27 in Ninjiang, China — comprises mainly of players from a dera college.

Players during one of the camps for the preparations of the world roller sports games, in Chandigarh. Dera players have been dominating roller sports for the last one decade. (Karun Sharma/HT)

Out of the 11 on the roller hockey squad, seven are students of the dera-owned college in Sirsa. And they have all picked up the sport in the dera-run school. The others are from Chandigarh.

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In the senior women’s inline hockey (part of roller sports) squad for the games, the lion’s share belongs to dera. In the 16- member team, 11 are from the dera; and in the junior’s section 12 girls from the sect have made it to the team.

Dera players have been dominating roller sports for the last one decade in a similar fashion. This year in February, two dera trainees — Harpreet Kaur and Parveen Kaur — were awarded Haryana’s highest sports award, Bhim Award.

About the violence in Panchkula that led to death of more than 30 dera followers in Panchkula and six in Sirsa, a former international women roller hockey player from the dera said on the condition of anonymity: “What happened in Panchkula is shocking, and if dera followers are behind all this then I have no words to say.”