Neha Saini

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 1

Navjeet Dhillon, an international athlete and the 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, on Thursday alleged that she was not allowed to undergo training at Khalsa College.

Navjeet, who is an alumni of Khalsa College for Women, and a discus thrower, said guards posted at the entry gate of the college misbehaved with her and her brother, Jesse Dhillon, who is also an athlete.

“We have been training at Khalsa College right from the beginning. My father and I prepared the ground without any funds. On Wednesday, I along with my brother and few other discus throwers went to the college for practice session. Security staff at the gate did not let us to enter the campus and disrespected us by saying that they do not know who we were. Meanwhile, other sportspersons were having their practice session on the ground,” she said.

Irked by the treatment meted out to them, Navjeet posted the entire incident on her Facebook page. “It’s demoralising for athletes to go through such humiliation when we have worked hard to achieve so much for our country, state and alma mater,” said the athlete.

Navjeet had also won a silver medal at the Asian Junior World Championships. She’s currently training for the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games 2022.

Meanwhile, Khalsa College authorities termed the incident as a misunderstanding. “It’s unfortunate that this happened, but this incident should not be blown out of proportion. We have not yet opened two sports grounds of Khalsa College for outsiders. Only students of the institution are allowed to practice and entry is allowed after issuing a specific permit card. As per the guidelines of the state government, we are only following the safety norms. Navjeet and other discus throwers have been practicing here earlier as well. The security staff only asked for a permit card issued by the college. Had they approached me, it could have been provided on the spot,” said Dr Mehal Singh, Principal, Khalsa College.