Ludhiana, November 5
SAD MP Harsimrat Badal is vigorously advocating for equal rights and opportunities for the girl child, gender discrimination was clearly evident during the ongoing Kabaddi World Cup, organised by the ruling SAD government.

While members of the men’s kabaddi team are enjoying five-star facilities, women team members are putting up in damp rooms at Kairon Kisan Bhawan in PAU. Broken windowpanes, cracked walls and dirty beddings are some of the things women kabaddi players have got in the name of facilities.

Expressing their plight, members of the Indian women kabaddi team said, “Someone has rightly said women kabaddi is exhibition game to entertain the villagers. No one takes us seriously. We are a neglected lot. The Sports Department is least bothered about the conditions we are living in.” The players have been staying in unhygienic conditions for around two weeks now.

The players are not ready to say anything publicly. The city would host the first-ever Women’s Kabaddi World Cup on November 10. Teams from the USA, Turkmenistan and the United Kingdom would shortly start arriving in the city to vie for the top slot.

A spokesperson of the Punjab Sports Department said all four teams were eager to participate in the tournament and the department would wholeheartedly support them in that regard.

Director of Sports, Punjab, Pargat Singh, said: “Neither the members of the kabaddi team nor the officials have lodged any complaint regarding facilities. The team is putting up at Kairon Kisan Bhawan in PAU and I would check with DSO Surjit Singh, if the players are facing any problem.”