UP: Video Shows Kabaddi Players Being Served Food on Toilet Floor; Probe Ordered

Video Input: Piyush Rai

Video Producer: Mayank Chawla

Video Editor: Abhishek Sharma

A purported video has surfaced from Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur, which shows players, who were attending the state-level girl's 'Under-17' kabaddi tournament, being served food kept on the floor of a toilet at the Bhimrao Ambedkar Stadium.

The video, which was reportedly shot on 16 September, shows plates of rice, vegetables, and dal kept on the toilet floor while luchis are seen kept on scraps of paper.

It was also alleged that raw rice was served to the players, which many of them refused to eat, NDTV reported.

Uttar Pradesh Sports Minister Girish Yadav said, "There was a complaint about providing food in toilets to kabaddi players in Saharanpur."

"Sports officer has been suspended & inquiry has been ordered," he added.

Saharanpur sports officer Animesh Saxena was suspended over the incident and a probe has been ordered. This comes after a few players raised the matter to an official at the stadium.

The official then informed Saxena, who is said to have "reprimanded" the cooks over the incident.

Saxena, however, also said that the food which was served was of "good quality" and claimed that it was cooked in large vessels in a brick oven near the stadium's swimming pool, The Times of India reported.

"There was a space crunch and the food was cooked near the stadium pool," he said, adding that the food was then kept in the toilet because of the rain.

Hitting out at the government, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav said:

"It is an incompetent government. The state government is not even capable enough to make arrangements for Kabaddi players and patients who were being given food in toilets in Saharanpur."

Opposition leaders also held a protest in the Well of the House at the Legislative Assembly in Lucknow over the incident.

(With inputs from The Times of India and NDTV.)