Parents withdraw girls from UPBA Academy
IMMEDIATELY AFTER COMING TO KNOW ABOUT THE ALLEGATIONS AND COUNTERALLEGATIONS AGAINST TOP OFFICIALS, I ASKED MY DAUGHTER TO STOP GOING TO THE ACADEMY FOR REGULAR TRAINING AS YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT COULD HAPPEN TO MY DAUGHTER TOMORROW IF SHE CONTINUES TO PLAY THERE
Fed up with alleged controversy surrounding top officials of the Uttar Pradesh Badminton Association, parents of many of girl shuttlers have decided to withdraw their daughters from the Babu Ban ar as iD as UP Badminton Acad- emy herein order to avoid any embarrassment to them.
“The situation has become worse at the academy. Nowadays, the place is not good for my daughter,” a shuttler’s mother told HT on condition of anonymity on Monday.
“Immediately after coming to know about the allegations and counter-allegations against top officials, I asked my daughter to stop going to the academy for regular training as you never know what could happen to my daughter tomorrow if she continuesto play there ,” she said. “Now, I have started sending her to KD Singh ‘Babu’ stadium for regular training,” the parent added.
Many, including hostellers, have chosen to leave the academy even before the issue of alleged exploitation of girls came to the fore this month.
“I withdrew my daughter much in advance as she too was being forced to sign some papers against UPBA secretary Dr Vijai Sinha and his son Nishant Sinha,” a girl’s father said. “I have shifted her,” he added.
He denied his daughter ever reporting any wrongdoing at the badminton academy in the last three years. “She could have told her mother if something wrong was being done to girls,” he said.
“In fact, she told me about several power centres in the acad- emy, but nothing shocking or astonishing about the activities of any official.” Last week, the UP Badminton Association, despite being declared defunct by the registrar of societies, decided to lodge an FIR against UPBA secretary Vijai Sinha and his son Nishant Sinha, accusing the two of physical exploitation of girls and financial bungling.
The two denied the charges levelled against them and in return submitted their applications to the police, accusing a UPBA’s chairman Akhilesh Das of masterminding all such allegations. Das too refuted the charges. UPBA joint secretary Rajesh Saxena said he was not aware of girls quitting the academy. “I have been out of town for the last three days. I don’t know anything about this.” UPBA’s acting secretary Arun Kakkar also said he had no knowledge of withdrawal of girls from the academy.