The nation found new sensation of jubilant triumph when the
The nation found new sensation of jubilant triumph when the underdog Indian women’s hockey team defeated the 3 times Olympics Gold medalist Australia in Quater-finals.
In the semi-final, however, the Indian team did suffer a loss against Argentina’s women hockey team but it garnered appreciation from all corners of the world for its astounding performance.
While their performance at this year’s Olympics was hailed all over the country, however some Caste-chauvinists made India’s Semi-final defeat as an excuse to demonize the Dalit players of the Indian team. Soon after the match ended with India’s loss in the semi-finals, the family of Indian Hockey player Vandana Katariya’s family was hurled with casteist slurs and threats by men outside their house.
According to the report in The Times of India, two men were seen outside Katariya’s home in the village of Roshnabad in Haridwar hours after the team’s defeat. The men reportedly burst crackers and danced in mock celebration outside the family’s home, saying that the team lost because it had “too many Dalit players”.
“Suddenly, right after the match, we heard loud noises. Crackers were being burst outside our house. When we went outside, we saw two men from our village – we know them and they are upper castes – dancing in front of our house,” Katariya’s brother, Shekhar, told the newspaper.
Shekhar Katariya filed and complaint in the police station, he told, When the men saw her family come out of the house they reportedly continued with the casteist abuse, saying that all sports “should keep Dalits out”. Later the men took off their clothes and started to dance again while continuing their ordeal.
