New Delhi, April 26: The story of a young national-level volleyball player who lost her left leg after being pushed out of a moving train stunned India. Arunima Sinha was then offered more than two lakhs as compensation by the government, along with a job in the Railways.
Her family said she would prefer a career that would keep her linked to sports – so the UP government then asked if she’d like to be offered a job in the Sports Directorate or the Sports College.
Now, officials investigating Ms Sinha’s attack say her story doesn’t check out. She said she was on a train passing through Bareilly in UP when three men tried to grab her gold chain. Because she resisted, they pushed her out of the train. Another train heading in her direction ran over her leg. She was moved from a UP hospital to AIIMS in Delhi last week.
Ms Sinha had said she was on her way to Noida near Delhi to participate in a recruitment drive by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
Now, AK Jain who is a senior official with the Railways Police in UP, says that the chain that Ms Sinha claims was stolen has been found in her purse. There was no CISF test scheduled on April 11, when she was headed to Noida. Mr Jain says that a close friend of the athlete who was to receive her in Delhi has described her as “extremely depressed.” He says the fact that she did not have any luggage with her indicates that her trip was not the sort of planned journey one would undertake for a job interview.
Her family denies this.
“The police had made some allegations before as well. They said she was travelling without ticket and was sitting in front of the compartment gate. They are trying to cover up their incompetence,” said Gyanbala Sinha, Arunima’s mother.
—Agencies—