Youths pass casteist remarks at Indian hockey player Vandana Katariya’s kin, one arrested

Vandana’s brother Chandra Shekhar told The Indian Express that 3-4 youths were bursting crackers and dancing outside their house in Haridwar. "They said how can people of my caste play in the national team?”

Tokyo: India's Vandana Katariya celebrates after scoring a goal against South Africa during a women's field hockey match at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, Saturday, July 31, in Tokyo. (PTI File)

The family members of Indian women’s hockey team player Vandana Katariya alleged a group of youths in their locality in Haridwar burst crackers and danced in celebration and passed casteist remarks after India lost to Argentina in the Tokyo Olympics Wednesday.

An FIR was lodged and the main accused, Vijaypal (25), was arrested from Roshnabad stadium Thursday morning and raids are being conducted in search of the other accused, police said.

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Vandana’s brother Chandra Shekhar told The Indian Express, “We saw 3-4 youths bursting crackers and dancing outside our house. They said how can people of my caste play in the national team?”

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He added, “Our family is in a state of fear because the youths also threatened to kill us. We have filed a complaint narrating the entire incident.” He added that the accused youths live in the same locality in Roshnabad area about a few metres from their house.

“Two of them are hockey players and they have an enmity with us but this kind of behaviour on the defeat of the national team in the Olympics is unacceptable. There should be a case of sedition filed against them,” he said.

According to a statement from Haridwar Police, an FIR under IPC Section 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and SC/ST Act has been lodged against three persons Vijay Pal, Ankur Pal and Sumit Chauhan and other unidentified persons at Sidcul police station.

Lalmani Verma

Lalmani is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, and is based in New Delhi. He covers politics of the Hindi Heartland, tracking BJP, Samajwadi Party, BSP, RLD and other parties based in UP, Bihar and Uttarakhand. Covered the Lok Sabha elections of 2014, 2019 and 2024; Assembly polls of 2012, 2017 and 2022 in UP along with government affairs in UP and Uttarakhand. ... Read More

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