Indian rowers rally, bag two bronze medals
Hangzhou (PTI): Indian rowers staged twin comebacks to end the day with two bronze and take their overall tally to five medals in the watersport at the Asian Games here on Monday.
The day began with the quartet of Jaswinder Singh, Bheem Singh, Punit Kumar and Ashish Goliyan narrowly missing a silver in men's fours event.
Then the men's quadruple sculls team of Satnam Singh, Parminder Singh, Jakar Khan and Sukhmeet Singh finished third on the podium with a timing of 6:08.61 seconds, behind Uzbekistan (6:04.64) and gold medallists China (6:02.65).
The quadruple skulls quartet improved from fourth place to finish third in the final 500-metre of the 2000-metre race.
In the men's four event too, after lying fourth in the final 500metre of the 2000m race, the quartet showed superb coordination to finish third with 6:10.81s, and was pipped by China (6:10.04) by a fraction of seconds.
Uzbekistan took the top spot in the podium with a timing of 6:04.96.
Indian rower Balraj Panwar however missed out on a maiden Asian Games podium, finishing fourth in the men's single sculls.
The 24-year-old from Karnal, who was among the top-three at the 1500-mark, faltered in the final 500m to slip to fourth place with a timing of 7:08.79s.
He finished less than nine seconds behind Hong Kong's Hin Chun Chiu who took the bronze medal (7:00.55).
China's Liang Zang secured the gold with 6:57.06, while Japan's Ryuta Arakawa (6:59.79) and Hong Kong's Hin Chun Chiu finished with silver and bronze respectively.
The Indian oarswomen disappointed the most, finishing bottom in the five-team field of the women's eight with a timing of 7:05.71s, way behind China who took the gold medal clocking 6:33.61.
The Indian team of Sonali Swain, Ritu Kaudi, Priya Devi Thangjam, Varsha Kattathara, Aswathi Padinjarayil, Mrunmayee Salgaonkar, Tendenthoi Devi Haobijam, Rukmani and Geetanjali Gurugubelli hardly posed any challenge to their opponents.
Even the fourth-placed Thailand finished more than 15 seconds ahead of the Indians.
Indian rowers have now won two silver and three bronze medals.
India had bagged two silver and a bronze medal on Sunday.
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.
T'gana BC panel seeks reports over infant's death, family alleges caste abuse
Hyderabad (PTI): The Telangana Commission for Backward Classes on Monday sought reports from state government officials on the death of an infant following alleged assault and caste abuse against her family members in Nagarkurnool district while visiting a temple fair.
In separate letters, Commission Chairman G Niranjan urged Endowments Department Commissioner S Harish and Nagarkurnool district Collector Badavath Santhosh to furnish the reports within three days.
Niranjan drew the officials' attention to media reports on the death of the two-month-old baby at Kummera village in the district and alleged caste discrimination and denial of entry to the temple fair to the baby's family belonging to a BC community.
BJP OBC Morcha's state unit president G Anand Goud alleged inadequate response by the police in the incident and demanded a transparent investigation into the incident.
Alleging that the deceased baby's father was attacked in the incident, he also demanded action against the attackers.
Goud told reporters that BJP's state unit president N Ramachander Rao would visit the village on February 24 and meet the baby's family members.
Meanwhile, a BRS delegation met DGP B Shivadhar Reddy and demanded a comprehensive inquiry into the incident.
The BRS leaders sought action against a person who allegedly attacked the infant's parents.
BC associations have held protests over the past few days regarding the alleged caste discrimination against the deceased infant's family members.
Police said on Sunday that four persons were arrested in connection with the cases registered after the family alleged that the baby died following an "assault" by a group of villagers. The family also alleged that they were abused in the name of caste in the incident on February 18.
However, a villager, part of the group, lodged a counter-complaint with the police the same day, alleging that he was attacked with stones during a scuffle with the family, sustaining a head injury, following which a case was registered.
The infant died on February 21 and her mother, who belongs to an SC community, also lodged a complaint alleging her daughter died due to the physical assault on the family by some villagers, police said.
