Excelsior Sports Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 26: A day after the High Court quashed an Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) FIR against celebrated sportswoman and coach Bilquis Mir, two leading sports bodies today demanded that those behind what they called a “smear campaign” be identified and held accountable.
Addressing a press conference here, the J&K Association of Rowing and Sculling and the J&K Water Sports Kayaking and Canoeing Association-joined by Bilquis herself-said the verdict had vindicated their long held stand.
The court, they noted, had termed the case a “witch hunt” and a “shameful abuse of process.” Terming the case “an assault not only on Bilquis Mir but on the very soul of India’s sporting spirit,” the associations urged the Government to act.
“Now that the truth has been restored and justice has prevailed, this is the time for strong corrective action,” they said, calling on the Government of J&K and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to ensure accountability.
The members expressed deep anguish over what they called “systematic and malicious harassment” of Bilquis over the years.
“She is a woman who has carried the honour of J&K and the entire nation on her shoulders with unmatched grace and determination,” they said, recalling that Bilquis is the only woman from India to have served as an Olympic level jury member.
The associations said the allegations against her were “deeply insulting to the spirit of Indian sport” and pointed out that the court had also observed that her promotions, deputations and salary enhancements were all duly sanctioned by competent authorities.
“Yet she was made to walk through fire for years while those who should have stood by her either stayed silent or joined the conspiracy to pull her down,” they said.
Her elevation as Secretary of the J&K Sports Council, they said, is “not just a demand but a national imperative.”
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