Young Odisha Wrestlers Compelled To Travel Near Train Toilets In Winter To Attend National School Wrestling Championship | WATCH

A viral video circulating widely on the internet has exposed the appalling treatment faced by young athletes from Odisha while traveling to Uttar Pradesh to participate in the 69th National School Wrestling Championship.

A total of eighteen wrestlers from Odisha, comprising 10 boys and 8 girls, were sent to represent the state at the prestigious event. However, the shocking footage reveals that these young athletes were allegedly forced to endure extremely harsh travel conditions on a train, which no citizen should ever have to face.

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Watch The Viral Video

Due to their tickets not being confirmed, the wrestlers were compelled to sit near the train toilets in the biting cold of winter. This incident, attributed to the negligence of the Odisha Government’s School and Mass Education Department, has triggered widespread outrage among the netizens.

The viral video shows the wrestlers struggling to cope, resting their heads on travel backpacks while seated near the toilets. Disturbingly, both boys and girls were subjected to the same degrading conditions. The apparent carelessness of the state authorities has raised serious concerns about the safety, dignity, and well-being of these young athletes, who were traveling to represent Odisha at the national level.

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Wrestlers Return In The Same Inhumane Condition

Shockingly, the wrestlers had to travel in the same inhumane conditions while returning after their train tickets were not confirmed. As of now, the Odisha government has not released an official statement on this serious issue.

While speaking to ANI, Hari Prasad Pattanayak, General Secretary of the Odisha State Karate Association, described it as an unfortunate incident and stated that the system needs improvement.

"... It is definitely an unfortunate incident... The system needs to be improved... Getting train tickets in India is very difficult... We have to think more broadly...," Hari Prasad Pattanayak said as quoted by ANI.

Starting from the opposition to sports enthusiasts in the country, all have questioned the poor arrangements made by the authorities.