Mary Kom trades punches with Sports Minister Rathore in 'fun session'
New Delhi, Nov 1: Five-time world champion M C Mary Kom had an unlikely training partner on Thursday when Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore donned the punching mitts and sparred with her.
The diminutive 35-year-old was seen playfully aiming for the Olympic silver-medallist former shooter outside the ring in a one-minute video she posted after training at the IG Stadium.
The 48-year-old Rathore had a smile on his face as he successfully dodged the attacks launched by the Manipuri, at the end of which the two shared an embrace.
"Today, he came to the national camp and it was great for all of us. All the boxers in the camp felt motivated by his presence at the training. It was a nice gesture by him," Mary Kom, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, told PTI about the "fun session".
While Mary Kom had her gloves on, Rathore wore the punching mitts, padded gloves that are generally donned by trainers to provide boxers with the counter-force while training. The audience included Boxing Federation of India President Ajay Singh among others.
The Olympic bronze-medallist and multiple-time Asian gold-medallist is gearing up for the world championships starting November 15 here. She would be aiming for a historic sixth gold in the 48 kg category.
"He is taller than me, so reaching him was a challenge. But I think I did alright," she laughed.
But who challenged whom?
"It was actually the photographers who came to shoot, they wanted some action. We said 'ok we will give you action'. He was also enjoying himself and so was I," Mary Kom said.
Mary Kom has enjoyed a stellar year so far, claiming gold medals at the Commonwealth Games, the inaugural India Open and the International Tournament in Poland.
"Hum Fit Tho India Fit" ???
— Adarsh Hegde (@adarshdgp) November 1, 2018
Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore & boxing champion Mary Kom decided to show their skills???
Both are sportsmen and politicians too.
Mary kom is a Rajya Sabha Member.?@Ra_THORe @MangteC @ShefVaidya @AgentSaffron pic.twitter.com/5hlzr0pOf1
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Chhattisgarh Vedanta power plant blast: Death toll rises to 24
Raipur (PTI): The death toll in a blast at the Vedanta power plant in Chhattisgarh's Sakti district has gone up to 24 with one more worker succumbing to injuries on Sunday, officials said.
Eleven other persons were undergoing treatment in different hospitals. Two of them were reported to be in critical condition, they said.
A worker, identified as Manish Kumar, a native of Sonbhadra in Uttar Pradesh, died during treatment at Raigarh medical college in the wee hours, a government official told PTI.
With this, the death toll has gone up to 24 in the incident that occurred on April 14.
The explosion occurred in a steel tube carrying high-pressure steam from the boiler to the turbine at the Vedanta Ltd power plant located in Singhitarai village, leaving several workers with severe burn injuries.
According to officials, four workers died on the spot, while nine others succumbed to injuries soon after the incident. Seven more injured workers succumbed to injuries in hospitals on April 15, while another worker died on April 16 at a hospital in Raipur. Two more workers died in hospitals on Saturday.
The deceased include seven labourers from West Bengal, five from Chhattisgarh, four from Jharkhand, four from Uttar Pradesh, and two each from Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.
Of the 11 injured, six are admitted to Jindal Hospital, Raigarh, and two each at Balaji Metro Hospital and Apex Hospital, Raigarh. Another worker is undergoing treatment at Shri Shankara Hospital, Raipur, an official said.
Of them, two are critical, he said.
Police have registered an FIR under sections related to causing death by negligence and negligent conduct with machinery.
"Eight to ten individuals, including Vedanta Group Chairman Anil Agarwal and plant head Devendra Patel, have been named in the FIR. If more persons are found responsible during the investigation, their names will be added," Sakti Superintendent of Police Prafull Thakur had said.
A preliminary technical investigation into the blast found that excessive fuel accumulation inside the boiler furnace led to a pressure build-up, triggering the explosion, police officials earlier said.
A report by the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Sakti also confirmed that the accumulation of fuel and the resulting excessive pressure were the primary causes of the explosion, they said.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai had directed the Bilaspur divisional commissioner to conduct a probe into the incident.
The Sakti district administration has also ordered a magisterial probe into the incident.
The Opposition Congress has demanded that stricter charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder be invoked in the case.
