Punjab shooters cry foul over selection

Gagan K. Teja

Tribune News Service

Patiala, January 9

The selection of Punjab’s shooting squad for the forthcoming National Games has become a bone of contention, with many senior shooters expressing their annoyance over their non-inclusion in the squad. These shooters allege that the Punjab Rifle Shooting Association (PRSA) has ignored their professional credentials and picked up some shooters who have not won medals in even national championships.

“These shooters have been preferred to some of the elite shooters who are currently part of India’s core group, which is an indication of their credentials,” said a shooter, requesting anonymity.

This shooter and many others are so upset with this that they are now considering the option of representing some other state in the National Games, scheduled to be held in Kerala from January 31 to February 14. They are also thinking of exploring legal options to get this selection overturned.

One of the shooters not included in the team said that the association can be faulted on two counts. “They were supposed to send only a 34-member contingent for the National Games, and they have picked up events in which some of the selected shooters are ranked below No. 30 at the national-level,” said he. “But, for many events in which the Punjab shooters are among the top-eight in India, no shooters are being sent.” As some events in which the Punjab shooters are among the best in the country will have no representation from Punjab, the state will lose out on the medals.

“Moreover, they have smartly picked some extremely good shooters with totally undeserving ones, so that the team would somehow manage to get a medal or a good position in the team events,” he said. “This would prove fruitful for the undeserving shooters, who have no hope of winning a medal on their own. But what about us, who are much more experienced and able than the ones going in the team?”

As per the information received, among the aggrieved shooters are Simrat Chahal, Navdeep Dhillon, Amarinder Singh Cheema, Jasmine Kaur, Sikander Mann and Savita Thakur, whose ability and performance in the past are of a higher calibre than of some selected shooters.

Sources have claimed that Simrat Chahal has even sought a no-objection certificate (NOC) from Punjab, to be able to represent some other state. Chahal is upset that her name did not figure in the team list, and she would now represent Rajasthan in the National Games.

Why players quit Punjab

This is not the first time that a shooter has walked out of Punjab. The reigning national champion Capt. Parampal Singh Guron had shot down two records and the gold medal in the men's skeet event during the 2011 National Games. He was representing Chhattisgarh, but he is originally from Punjab and quit the state in 2008. He claims that “favouritism” was the reason he quit Punjab.

“Despite being born in Punjab, I had quit playing for Punjab because I was sick and tired of the politics in the association. They are extremely high-headed and do not respect the credentials of any player,” he told The Tribune. “Favouritism runs supreme in this association and that is the main reason I and Arozepal Singh Sandhu, another top international skeet shooter, left Punjab and decided to represent a state that respects sports and sportspersons. Now we are representing Chhattisgarh and are more than happy that we left Punjab.”

Tejinder Singh Dhillon, former IG of Punjab Police, is considered a pioneer in the state’s shooting fraternity. He is also the father of Asian medallist Navdeep Dhillon, whose name is also missing from the Punjab squad. “My daughter Navdeep Dhillon has higher merit than Kiran and Avneet, who have been selected for the Games, and I have spoken to Raja Sidhu (the Punjab Olympic Association’s secretary general) about it... He has assured me that they would reconsider the merits of the shooters,” he said.

However, PRSA secretary Deep Sidhu refuted the allegation of favouritism, and claimed that no shooter had approached them with any queries over selection. “The lists are recommended by the coaches and the association later discusses the cases,” he said. “We have fixed a number of berths, which we cannot exceed. And we have to take a lot of things into consideration, we have to strike a balance between their average scores and the number of berths. Apart from considering everyone’s individual performance, we also have to make strong teams.”

Raja KS Sidhu said that the POA has done everything on merit, adding that if the shooters cry foul, disciplinary action would be taken against them. He said the selection process was transparent and the players who are protesting are just a disgruntled lot. "We have kept a proper blend of experienced and young talent who have proved their worth. But still if the players cry foul, disciplinary action would be initiated against them," he added.

Meanwhile, the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) president Raninder Singh, contacted for his views in this regard, said the NRAI has nothing to do with the selection process. He said the NRAI cannot interfere with the autonomous working of the state association, but he added that the NRAI would advise the state bodies to pick their best players for this prestigious tournament.

“The National Games shooting competition is a big tournament and all states must ensure that the selection process is totally transparent and fair,” he said.