Indian junior hockey team goalkeeper demands construction of toilet, gets insulted by BJP MLA

What's the story?

Controversy erupted in Bhopal earlier this week after goalkeeper of the Indian women's junior national hockey team Khushboo Khan appealed to the Madhya Pradesh chief minister for the construction of a toilet at her family home.

Her appeal did not please local MLA Surendra Nath Singh, who slammed the youngster by stating that she would not have had to live in slums and would have got a government job had she been a good player.

In case you didn't know...

Khan hit the limelight in June last year after she was selected in the 33-member core group for the women's national team.

Her call-up stood from the rest given her young age and the fact that she practised and trained against boys as there are no other women players in the entire city.

The heart of the matter

Khan, who hails from a family of seven, had earlier spoken out after the toilet at her home had been allegedly demolished by a veterinary hospital during an encroachment drive.

She had stated that the hospital management had promised to build a new toilet in January last year, but till date, it remains unfulfilled. As a result, her family has had to resort to open defecation in the last few months and all their pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

Additionally, she revealed that now her family is facing threats of their entire slum to be demolished and her family being rendered homeless.

What's next?

It remains to be seen whether the government officials will react to her pleas.

Author's take

It is extremely disheartening to see a member of a national team having to live in such poor conditions. On top of that, having to hear such condescending remarks only makes the situation worse.