Deepa Malik appeals for Khel Ratna, gets Haryana Chief Minister's backing

PTI

New Delhi: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has come forth in support of Rio Paralympics silver-medallist Deepa Malik after the athlete was ignored for the year's Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award. Haryana CM had requested to reconsider Deepa's name for the ward, in a letter to the Sports Ministry.

A few weeks earlier, the award selection panel had announced the names of Javelin thrower and a Rio medallist Devendra Jhajharia and former Indian Hockey team captain Sardar Singh for the Khel Ratna award. However, the 47-year-old, who had scripted history at Rio to become the first Indian female athlete to win a silver at the Paralympics, wasn't on the list. And thus, on August 7, Deepa Malik sent an e-mail to Sports Ministry to appeal about the ignorance of her name.

"I felt that there has been an oversight. Where's the deficiency. Do I need to win one more medal in 2020 Games at the age of 50 to be given this award," Malik told PTI

"There is a precedence that Khel Ratna can be given to multiple people in an Olympic year. My medal came 15 days after the Khel Ratna was given on August 29, 2016 to the other winners. It's a clear case of oversight.

"And I am not lobbying for it. Lobbying is when you try to influence people before the committee sits and decide. When I found my name is not there, then I wrote to the ministry, it's an appeal. I have got the backing of my state CM. Haryana is a sports conscience state. He (CM) also felt that I have been overlooked," Malik said.

On August 16, Haryana CM wrote to the Ministry saying, "I am of the considered opinion that prestigious Khel Ratna award should be conferred on Deepa Malik. I therefore request to you to kindly consider her name for Khel Ratna."

The Ministry, however, had their answers to clarify the doubt surrounding the ignorance.

"Look, Mariyappan Thangavelu had also won gold in Rio but still not chosen for Khel Ratna, he was given Arjuna. For Jhajharia, it was his second Paralympics gold, we could not ignore him," a member of the committee said.

"We want to stick to what the panel has recommended. We will make public the names of the award winners very soon," said a Sports ministry official.

Unfortunate for the athlete, her event, shot put, won't be part of the F53 category in the next Olympics. In fact, discuss throw would be considered as the main discipline.

"So, do I need to learn discus throw to win another medal and be considered again? I had a spinal injury due to which I can't rotate my lower body to throw a discus. That's why I have always practiced Javelin throw and shot put. I don't have the torso balance and the muscles required to throw discus are not connected with my brain anymore," she explained her troubles.

"Can a Vijender Singh or a Sushil Kumar now compete in swimming or gymnastics? I come from a disciplined military family. I have not broken ethics, it's my democratic right to express my views and write to the country's sports minister," Malik concluded.