RS MPs demand support for hockey legend Md Shahid's family

A day after the death of hockey legend Mohd Shahid, Rajya Sabha members today asked the government to ensure all possible help to his family.
Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha, Dilip Tirkey (BJD) said the dribbling ace was a role model for several hockey players and remembered his contributions to Indian sports.
"Except for cricket, we are forgetting our sport stars," Tirkey, himself a former Indian hockey team captain, said.
He said the Shahid's family should not face any hardships and the government should provide help.
Several members from both treasury and opposition benches associated themselves with Tirkey's opinion.

"I think the entire House agrees with you," Deputy Chairman P J Kurien told Tirkey.

A member was heard saying that a memorial should also be erected to honour Shahid, who hailed from Varanasi, the constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the government bore medical expenses of Shahid and have also announced a financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh.
Some members including Satyavrat Chaturvedi (Congress) opined that the obituary to the Olympic gold medalist Shahid should have come from the Chair.
To this, Kurien said obituary references are generally made by the Chairman and he will convey it to Hamid Ansari.

Shahid, 56, passed away yesterday due to multiple organ failure in a private hospital in Gurgaon.