Rampur man Harish Chandra Laktu selected as International kickboxing referee

Ashish Negi

Rampur, February 4

Harish Chandra Laktu

has been selected as international referee by WAKO

India Kickboxing Federation of India.

Laktu, who hails from Kinnu, a backward area of Rampur Bushahr in Shimla district, will play the role of referee in the International Kickboxing Championship to be held at Talkatora Indoor Stadium, Delhi from February 7 to 11.

Recently, WAKO India Kickboxing Federation had released a list of 26 people from the country for refereeing, which includes one chairman, three chief referees and 22 referees. Two international referees from Himachal Pradesh figure on the list. Both belong to Shimla district. Besides Laktu, Yashwant Hauta is the other refree on the list.

Laktu, who belongs to inaccessible 6/20 area, had been exhibiting his strength in karate since 1985. He has also been a karate instructor for a long time. Laktu has been associated with WAKO India Kickboxing Federation for nine years and is currently Shimla district president of WAKO India Kickboxing Federation.

In 1995, when Laktu was going from Rampur to Kotla to teach karate to Italian children, a leopard pounced on his scooter at Manglad. Making good use of his skills, Laktu kicked and punched the big cat and it fell off the road into the Sutlej. The dead leopard was found long way down the river and its back was broken. Laktu was seriously injured in this incident.