Feeling "insulted" after his name was not added to this year's list of Arjuna awardees, boxer Manoj Kumar today said he would sue the Sports Ministry for the "injustice" meted out to him.
The controversial recommendation of boxer Jai Bhagwan for the prestigious Arjuna Awards stands after the selection committee yesterday decided not to make any changes in the original 15-athlete list.
Sports Authority of India Director General Jiji Thomson, who was part of the Awards committee, said the panel discussed seven athletes in the review meeting but it was unanimously agreed that no changes were needed.
Manoj told PTI that he had been assured by the sports secretary and Thomson himself that his name would be added in yesterday's meeting and their backtracking was a "betrayal".
"When my elder brother met the Sports Secretary on August 13, the Sports Secretary had admitted that there was a mistake on the part of the ministry by mistakenly thinking that I was involved in a dope offence. Mr Ajit Sharan had told my brother that my name will be added in the review meeting," Manoj, who is in the national camp at the NIS here, said.
"The SAI DG himself called me up the next day (August 14) that my case will be considered and no injustice would be done to me. He assured me that my name will be added in the Arjuna list. But all these turned out to be false promises and they have backtracked now. I have a trial for the Asian Games next week and I am in severe mental stress," he said.
"First, they tarnished my image by mistakenly calling me a dope offender and then betrayed me by backtracking on what they had promised. It's an insult and betrayal," a dejected Manoj, who won a gold in 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, said.
Manoj's elder brother and coach Rajesh Kumar said that he will file a case in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
"This is an injustice to my brother. What motivation an athlete will have to bring laurels for the country if he was treated like this. I will file a case at the High Court in Chandigarh very soon.
