Just the day before, shortly after the Governing Committee (CoA) took over the reins of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) on February 18, Head Coach Manjit Dua was appointed by CoA Chairman Geeta Mittal Warm welcome.
Well aware of the Arjuna awardee and the stature of the three-time national champion and major contribution to the game, the chairman extended the courtesy he so well deserved. Over the next three months, CoA used Manjit’s services to select members of the Indian team, across age groups, for various international tournaments.
Once the CoA invited proposals from the state associations before making changes to the selection criteria and Manjit, as secretary of the Delhi Table Tennis Association, opposed them, things worked out. spectacularly.
Not long after, Manjit stepped down as head coach and national selection, after he was offered an observer position on the new selection committee.
But worse than following.
On May 31, on the eve of the awards ceremony of the national cadet and elementary championships in Indore, Manjit was deeply shocked when an extremely distressed organizer informed him of his “desire.” of the CoA to keep him away. stage.
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“I didn’t come to Indore to sit on the stage. I’ve been with the game for 55 years. But it must be said that it is better to stay at the hotel than to go to the venue of the final which is very humiliating. Arjuna Award winner, former national champion and medalist at Asian [Games] and the Commonwealth [Games] I certainly don’t deserve such scorn and contempt,” recalls Manjit, 67, deeply respected by a generation of table tennis lovers.
Request made by Sports star revealed that a member of the CoA was of the opinion that no one associated with suspended TTFI office bearers should be seen on stage because “it would send the wrong signal”.
Ironically, two postholders of the Madhya Pradesh Table Tennis Association – Om Soni and Jayesh Acharya – serve as Vice President and Joint Secretary in TTFI. While the CoA are fine with their presence on stage during the award distribution, they will see red if Manjit, who does not hold any position in the TTFI, sits on stage.
Similarly, during the national championship in Shillong, Mittal did not hesitate to share the stage with TTFI Vice President and Organization Secretary Chiranjib Choudhury.
Many people took to social media on Friday to express their displeasure at Manjit’s treatment and stoned CoA for its shocking diktat.
When contacted, Acharya explained, “We have great respect for Manjit Ji. He is a legend. We have hosted more than 100 national events in Indore but have never encountered such a dilemma. Our respect for Manjit Ji remains. We, as organizers, can only control what is controllable.”
