Thaindian News

Shimla, Feb 24 (IANS) A badminton champion, studying in class 12 of a government school in Sirmau district of Himachal Pradesh, was asked to clean utensils at the school’s annual function presided over by state Health Minister Rajeev Bindal.Aarzoo Thakur, a student of Government Senior Secondary School at Dadahu in Sirmaur and gold medallist at the National Women Festival - 2010 held in Agra, attended the function Tuesday, where she and a couple of other students were later asked to wash utensils, her family said.

“It’s a high disregard for a champion,” her father Inder Singh Thakur told IANS Thursday over phone.

“The girls usually wash utensils at home and this helps them to develop homely skills. But we have a grudge that school authorities made her wash dishes and totally ignored her achievements.” he said.

“Even other government functionaries like the sports department officials, who were present at the function, have not recognised her accomplishments,” he added.

The school is located about 200 km from here.

Feigning ignorance about the incident, Rajeev Bindal told IANS: “I was present at the school function but I was not told about the achievements of the player. I will look into the matter. Of course, the player has brought laurels to the state and she commands due respect.”

He said during his one-and-half-hour stay in the school, he did not partake any food. “No refreshments were served to the guests,” he added.

Aarzoo was in December 2008 honoured by Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal with a cash prize of Rs.50,000 for winning gold in the National Women Sports Festival (Group 3) held in Hamirpur in the state.