Jhajjar: Sports minister suspends athletic coach over negligence of duty

Chandigarh: Haryana Sports minister Gaurav Gautam has ordered the suspension of an athletic coach in Jhajjar district following complaints from villagers alleging negligence of duty and failure to provide regular training to young athletes.

Acting on the minister’s directions, the Sports department on Monday suspended coach Ajay Rathi and directed him to report to the department’s head office in Panchkula during the pendency of the inquiry.

According to officials, Ajay Rathi was posted at Kharkhar village in Jhajjar district last month after the transfer of the previous athletic coach. Soon after his posting, the village sarpanch and other residents submitted repeated complaints to the District Sports Officer (DSO), Jhajjar, alleging that the coach remained largely absent from the training ground, adversely affecting the practice schedule of local players. As no corrective action was taken at the district level, the villagers escalated the matter to the Sports minister.

Taking immediate cognisance of the complaints, Gautam ordered a surprise inspection by the District Sports Officer and the Personal Sports Advisor. During the inspection, the coach was found absent from the morning training session. Players present at the ground informed the inspecting officials that the coach attended evening practice sessions only once or twice a week, forcing athletes to train on their own for most of the time.

When contacted over the phone during the inspection, the coach reportedly failed to offer any satisfactory explanation for his absence.

Based on the signed complaint from villagers, earlier representations and the findings of the surprise inspection, the Sports minister directed senior officials to suspend Ajay Rathi with immediate effect and initiate disciplinary proceedings against him.