This Article is From Apr 15, 2011

Railways job for athlete attacked on train

Bareilly/New Delhi: When Arunima Sinha boarded a train to Delhi from Lucknow, the 23-year-old volleyball player was thinking of her future.

The national-level volleyball player wanted to join a recruitment drive for the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) that was to take place in Noida. Instead, after being attacked by three men on the train, she is now in hospital. She has lost her left leg and has serious head injuries.

"My dream has broken into pieces", she says. "I just want to urge whoever has the power to help me to be independent. I never want to be a burden on anyone."

Arunima was in a general compartment on Tuesday when late at night, as her train passed through Bareilly, three men walked into her compartment and tried to grab her gold chain. When she resisted, they pushed her out. The athlete fell on the tracks; a train heading toward her ran over her leg. Her assaulters ran away and are yet to be traced.

The government's initial response left both the athlete and the country winded. Sports Minister Ajay Maken offered Rs 25,000 as compensation. The Railways Ministry offered to cover her medical expense. The public criticism may have prompted the change that reflected in the evening - she will now receive an additional Rs 2 lakh from the government and a job with the Railways. "I was feeling like a beggar earlier," Arunima said, after being told in the hospital where she's recovering about her new job offer.

All her life, 23-year-old Arunima has shown fierce independence. She is the youngest of three children belonging to a lower middle-class family. Her father worked as a jawan in the Army. Her mother is a supervisor with the health department.

She talks about how she once contested against men to make it to UP's volleyball team. "There were not enough girls, so they combined our try-outs with boys. It was a tough game, but I did well and the coach told me I had been selected."

Arunima went on to represent her state in tournaments in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and while her sport was her passion, she needed to earn a living that would help support her family. A career in the paramilitary services seemed a good option.

"Organizations like the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Border Security Force (BSF) promote sportsmen, allow them to take the time to participate in tournaments," she said.

Her sister, Lakshmi, says, "I just want the state government and the Railways to ensure that whatever happened to my sister does not happen to any other girl."

In New Delhi, Railway Board Chairman Vivek Sahai said that usually, a train that has 24 coaches has four security guards. "We run 11,765 trains a day out of which about 3,500 trains are escorted by the Railway Protection Force," he said.

IF YOU WANT TO HELP ARUNIMA, PLEASE SEND IN YOUR CHEQUE IN FAVOUR OF -

Arunima Sinha
A/C No. 30867954764
State Bank of India
Branch: Shehzadpur, Akbarpur
District: Ambedkarnagar
Uttar Pradesh
India

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