Kerala policewoman wins two gold medals in World Arm Wrestling Competition
Kozhikode (Kerala), (PTI): When ASI Mini Raju won a 2018 district-level arm wrestling competition organised here by Kerala Police Association after entering it at the last moment, little did she know that four years down the line she would make India proud by winning a double gold in the World Arm Wrestling Competition held at Turkey recently.
Another feather in her cap is that she was also the captain of the 43-member Indian team that participated in the world sporting event and bagged 13 medals -- three gold, five silver and five bronze -- a haul which was a first for the country at the competition, according to Raju.
Of the 13 medals, eight were won by arm wrestlers from Kerala, she added.
"Every year, India used to send a 40-45 member contingent to the competition and used to come back with one or two medals. This is the first time we won so many medals. Also after 1979, I am the first one to win double gold for the country at the event," Raju told PTI.
Raju, prior to entering the world of arm wrestling, was a state-level athlete who participated in the 100 and 200 metre heats and long-jump events and won medals.
She joined the police force in 2001 and continued to participate in athletic events, Raju said. However, an accident in 2008 which damaged the ligament in her leg ended her athletic career.
In 2018, when she went to see an arm wrestling competition organised by the Kerala Police Association's Kozhikode district unit, she decided to participate in the event and "probably due to my background in sports I had the strength required to win there".
"Thereafter, I participated in an open district-level arm wrestling competition where I defeated several seasoned opponents and emerged as champion and strong woman in the district," she said.
From then, there was no looking back and she went on to win gold, in the right and left arm categories, at the state-level competitions and then bronze at the national level, she said.
In just a short span of four years after entering the sport, she went on to lead the Indian team at the World Arm Wrestling Competition, held at Turkey from October 14-23, where the country won 13 medals.
"All this was possible due to the support of my family, especially my husband. He is the driving force behind me. He takes me to the Evolution Gym at 5 AM and then again in the evening after our duty ends for the day. He also practices with me," Raju said.
Her husband, also an ASI, however, does not participate in the sporting event.
Raju's coach is Roshith, who runs the gym where she practices and is also a national-level referee of the sport, she said.
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UP: Tehsildar's vehicle hits biker, drags body for 30 km
Bahraich(UP), Dec 20: A government vehicle belonging to the tehsildar of Nanpara hit a biker and allegedly dragged his body for 30 kilometers.
The victim, identified as Narendra Kumar Haldar (35), a resident of Payagpur, was returning home when the accident occurred on the Nanpara-Bahraich road on Thursday evening. According to police, Haldar's body got entangled in the vehicle and was dragged for the entire distance, reaching the Nanpara Tehsil.
Naib Tehsildar Shailesh Kumar Awasthi, who is believed to be present in the vehicle at the time of the accident, has been recommended for suspension by District Magistrate Monika Rani. The vehicle's driver, Meraj Ahmed, has been arrested. Superintendent of Police Vrinda Shukla confirmed the incident and said, "It was confirmed that the body was dragged for 30 kilometers to Nanpara when the locations of the deceased Narendra Haldar and the tehsildar's driver Meraj Ahmed were tracked at the time of the accident."
Stating that the incident was a "big negligence", the officer added, "It is very unlikely that a body was stuck in the vehicle for 30 kilometers and no one came to know about it. It is possible that the vehicle was not stopped due to fear."
The officer said that a thorough investigation is underway to determine the exact circumstances of the accident. "Police are examining CCTV footage along the 30-kilometer route to reconstruct the sequence of events," said the SP.
In the police complaint lodge regarding the matter, the family members of the deceased have mentioned the vehicle of the tehsildar, police said.
District Magistrate Monika Rani said, "The matter of a car colliding with a bike came to notice. The Naib Tehsildar of Nanpara had come to Bahraich in the Tehsildar's car for some work and was returning to Nanpara. It has been learnt that a dead body got stuck with his car that drove till Nanpara Tehsil. According to the naib tehsildar, he was not aware of it. A recommendation has been made to suspend the naib tehsildar who was in the car."
