“In your previous age you need to have the ability to draw happiness from what you have got achieved in your life,” late hockey legend Balbir Singh Sr had as soon as stated about his lacking memorabilia.
Within the final 10 years, his members of the family left no stones unturned to regain his memorabilia, which he had donated means again in 1985 to the Sports activities Authority of India.
One in every of India’s best hockey gamers who received three Olympic gold medals in a stellar profession, Singh died in Might 2020 after battling a number of well being points.
His lacking memorabilia included an Olympic blazer, medals and uncommon photos. It was donated to the SAI for a proposed museum which by no means noticed the sunshine of day.
“When coaxed, he would examine the ache of their loss to the passing of an in depth member of the family,” Singh’s maternal grandson Kabir informed PTI right here on Sunday recalling how the household has been shifting from pillar to put up for the final 10 years.
The household says they got here to know that the objects have been lacking when the Worldwide Olympic Committee’s Olympic Museum wished the Melbourne Video games blazer to be part of the official 2012 London Olympics exhibition. There he was honoured as certainly one of 16 Olympic icons throughout all disciplines in 116 years of the trendy Olympics.
“That’s after we contacted SAI to get that blazer as Nanaji (Balbir Sr.) had nothing with him in London other than Olympic medals. However SAI officers stated that they didn’t know concerning the whereabouts of the treasure,” Kabir stated.
These articles have been a part of our nationwide sporting heritage, he added.
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A bunch of legal professionals from the Punjab and Haryana Excessive Court docket filed many RTIs within the SAI workplace in New Delhi and the Nationwide Institute of Sports activities (NIS), Patiala, which revealed that the articles have been certainly obtained by these authorities from Singh.
“We even have the unique newspaper clipping with image of the handover in 1985. If we didn’t, then they might have simply continued denying that nationwide treasure of our nation’s sporting historical past have been ever given,” he stated.
Kabir stated after the hockey nice died assurances got by completely different authorities that the matter could be totally investigated.
Lastly, an FIR was registered three years in the past in Civil Strains Police Station, Patiala by Nationwide Institute of Sports activities.
“It was assigned to an assistant sub-inspector of police for investigation,” stated Kabir, including no actual progress has taken place.
“In September 2021, we approached the then DIG of Patiala Police Vary, Gurpreet Singh Toor with the request {that a} Particular Investigation Workforce of Punjab Police be set as much as which the case may very well be transferred.
“The precise request for an SIT was as a result of by regulation an SIT can be empowered to conduct investigations exterior of state borders. We’re grateful to him that the request for SIT was accredited and a three-member SIT headed by the then SP – Investigations (Patiala) Dr Mehtab Singh (IPS) was constituted,” stated Kabir.
“Nonetheless, that was the final piece of fine information, the SIT constituted in September 2021 has until date not even visited our residence in Chandigarh to report our statements or take the RTI responses obtained onto report,” he stated.
“I cannot deny that it’s extremely irritating, however I cannot surrender.”
He stated the household has requested for a gathering with Punjab Chief minister Bhagwant Mann to see if a time-bound investigation will be performed.
“I’m certain {that a} correct devoted investigation by knowledgeable police pressure will assist remedy the case. If not, then we are going to knock on the doorways of the judiciary,” stated Sushbir Kaur, Singh’s daughter.
Kaur, the spouse of a deceased Air Pressure Officer, stated “so long as I’m alive and my son after that, we are going to maintain pushing for the solutions”.
Kaur stated it’s unimaginable that how such treasured issues may very well be misplaced.
“That is the remedy he will get in his nation, that he was robbed and there aren’t any solutions to it. No person is held accountable?
“Lacking means one or two articles, if every thing belonging to 1 participant goes lacking, it factors a really robust finger in direction of a conspiracy. The press or the folks or the federal government have to seek out out the solutions.
“How and why it has been performed? It isn’t a straight reply,” she stated.
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