West Bengal governor slammed for 'pushing' Sunil Chhetri during presentation ceremony
Kolkata, Sep 19: Two months into his stint as West Bengal governor, La Ganesan copped national criticism for pushing Indian football talisman Sunil Chhetri, in order to get clicked during the Durand Cup prize distribution ceremony here.
The 38-year-old Indian captain added an elusive Durand Cup title to his illustrious career when he led Bengaluru FC to their maiden crown in Asia's oldest football tournament following a hard-fought 2-1 victory over their Indian Super League rivals Mumbai City FC at the Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday.
But the prize distribution ceremony turned controversial when Chhetri was being pushed by Ganesan while the trophy was being handed over to the player in the presence of state sports minister Aroop Biswas.
Realising that he's not in the "photo frame", Ganesan pushed Chettri and the player obliged.
There has been no response yet from the champions Bengaluru FC or the governor's office, but the incident was widely slammed on various social media platforms.
"Disgraceful," wrote former India opener-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra wrote on his Twitter handle.
"Five seconds that show you everything that's wrong with Indian sport. It seems that they won the Durand Cup, not Sunil Chhetri and Bengaluru FC!," wrote Joy Bhattacharja, a former Kolkata Knight Riders team director.
Sivasakthi Narayanan opened the scoring for Bengaluru early in the first-half but the Islanders drew level through Apuia Ralte ahead of the break.
A magical Chhetri corner then brought up the winner as his delivery floated in with pace for Alan Costa to rise to the occasion and do the needful.
Chhetri has spoken about the importance of Durand Cup in his career.
"Two decades is a bit of a wait, but if it meant doing it in the blue of Bengaluru, then it was worth every season of trying," Chhetri tweeted, posing with the trophy with his wife Sonam.
"Durand Cup Champions - would have been a shame if an Army kid playing football professionally never had the chance to say this. Come on, BFC."
Disgraceful https://t.co/Tus6U5mKfA
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) September 19, 2022
Five seconds that show you everything that's wrong with Indian sport. It's seems that they won the Durand Cup, not Sunil Chhetri and Bengaluru FC! https://t.co/NdRsoKuKWK
— Joy Bhattacharjya (@joybhattacharj) September 19, 2022
Two decades is a bit of a wait, but if it meant doing it in the blue of Bengaluru, then it was worth every season of trying. Durand Cup Champions - would have been a shame if an Army kid playing football professionally never had the chance to say this. 😉
— Sunil Chhetri (@chetrisunil11) September 18, 2022
Come on, BFC! pic.twitter.com/Uw6itY2JKJ
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Nora Fatehi apologises before NCW over 'Sarke Chunar' row, vows support for orphan girls
New Delhi (PTI): Actor Nora Fatehi on Thursday appeared before the National Commission for Women in connection with a controversy surrounding the song 'Sarke Chunar' and apologised, saying there was "no intention to offend anybody."
Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Fatehi said she had been put in a situation unintentionally but acknowledged her responsibility as an artist.
"It was just a situation that I was put in, and there was no intention to offend anybody. But of course, I have to be responsible as an artiste. I definitely apologise, we have done everything in writing. They have been so kind and helpful," she said.
The actor also said she has decided to sponsor the education of a few orphan girls.
"It's really important for us to give back to society. So, I decided that we should sponsor a few orphan girls, their education, so that is the goal after this matter," she said.
Earlier, Fatehi distanced herself from the Hindi version of the song, saying she had shot the Kannada version and that her permission was not taken for its use in Hindi.
The Hindi version of the song, released on March 15 on YouTube, triggered outrage among a section of the public over its allegedly explicit lyrics.
Following the backlash, the makers removed the Hindi version from YouTube, though it continued to circulate across platforms. The lyricist, singer and director have also issued apologies.
'KD The Devil' is a Kannada film, dubbed in four languages, including Hindi.
