Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): National women’s junior hockey player from Mandsaur Sagu Dabar is allegedly being harassed by the district administration and forced to vacate the small hut her family has been residing in for past 35 years, only six days ahead of her pre-board exams, despite being served a notice period of seven days, she said on Saturday.
A team of district administration led by Tehsildar Mukesh Soni arrived at her home on Thursday and warned her family to vacate the house within seven days or it will be razed down. Nevertheless, another team barged in the next day, misbehaved with her widowed mother and a sister and cut off the power supply to her home, said Dabar.
Dabar, who has fought all odds of poverty and lack of opportunity to represent her state at nationals, is now on the verge of taking her 12th standard pre-board exams starting from November 19.
But, she has no electricity at her small hut to aid her study.
Soni, who claimed to have no role in cutting the power supply off, however refused to restore the same.
When asked why the family was being threatened and harassed, Tehsildar Soni said, they have been allotted a house in a nearby village Alavadakhedi under PM Housing scheme and they should move in into the same.
Dabar on the other hand, produced documents that verify that her family had bought the plot after paying Rs 1.5 lakh in cash to the Sarpanch of the village.
Dabar’s advocate, Bhagwan Singh, who oversaw the plot transfer, said, “Dabar’s family had paid for the plot by taking loans from local moneylender, which they still are repaying by doing chores at others’ houses. No plot has been allotted to them under any government scheme.”
“Had they been allotted the plot under PM Housing scheme, they would first have needed to apply for the same and they would have received installments to finish the construction. But nothing has happened,” he added.
A house has been constructed on the plot minus flooring and lighting, said Dabar. But she cannot shift to it immediately as they still have to pay Rs 60,000 to the contractor, she added.
Sagu is to appear for her pre-board exams starting from November 19 and she has no means to study at her home sans electricity.
Sagu has played nationals in Kerala, Assam, Ranchi and Bhopal, representing Madhya Pradesh, apart from several laurels she has earned at district and state levels. Sagu dreams that one day she would bring a medal for her country and make her mother proud.
Sagu had lost her father when she was six and has no vivid memory of him. She has grown up watching her single mother doing chores at others’ houses to take care of her and her five siblings, said her coach Avinash Upadhyaya.
Now, that she is at the verge of taking her 12th exams, she has to fight the circumstances no child should ever face in her life, he said.
All she can do is sit under the street light till the mosquitoes bite her off beyond her endurance, he added.
