3 months ago
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Even arsenic Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah felicitated the J&K cricket squad for winning their maiden Ranji Trophy, different sporting icon from the region, Bilquis Mir — who earned a sobriquet of “aqua queen” aft becoming the archetypal Indian pistillate connected the Paris Olympics assemblage successful 2024 — says she has been near distraught implicit the deficiency of authorities enactment to manager the nationalist squad for the 2026 Asian Games.
The Indian Kayaking & Canoeing Association (IKCA) connected February 3, 2026, wrote to J&K Sports Minister Satish Sharma to spare “Ms. Bilquis Mir arsenic manager for the nationalist squad mentation for the upcoming Asian Games 2026”.
“Ms. Mir has immense and distinguished acquisition successful the tract of kayaking and canoeing. She has earlier served arsenic the National Coach of the Indian Team and has made important contributions to the improvement of the athletics astatine some nationalist and planetary levels. Considering her method expertise, planetary exposure, and proven coaching capabilities, her engagement successful the National Coaching Camp volition greatly fortify the team’s mentation and heighten its show successful the forthcoming Asian Games,” said Prashant Kushwaha, president of the IKCA, successful the letter.
In the larger involvement of sports and the nation, the relation requested that the services of Ms. Mir “may kindly beryllium made available”.
“Without citing immoderate reason, I americium not being relieved to service the nation. What are my sins? All I did was coaching hundreds of section men and women successful h2o sports, who aboriginal made it large successful respective h2o sports games,” Ms. Mir told The Hindu.
Ms. Mir said she knocked connected the doors of the Chief Minister’s Office and the Sports Ministry but received nary response.
Besides being the archetypal Indian pistillate connected the Paris Olympics jury, Ms. Mir besides was the Chief Finish Line Judge astatine the 2025 Asian Championship held successful Nanjing, China.
She said she has been surviving without a wage for the past 2 years. “My begetter is bedridden because of the trauma faced by me. Now, it’s hard for maine to judge that I americium not allowed to manager the squad for the Asian Games. It is a proud infinitesimal for me aft each the idiosyncratic conflict I launched successful the past fewer years,” said Ms. Mir.
Her troubles began successful 2023 aft an anonymous ailment was lodged with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) questioning whether she possessed a Bachelors successful Physical Education grade required to go a Physical Education Teacher (PET). However, successful July 2025, the J&K High Court quashed the First Information Report (FIR) and described the probe agency’s relation arsenic a ‘witch-hunt’.
Justice Sanjay Dhar of the J&K High Court, portion quashing the FIR, observed that the attitude of the investigating bureau “in criminalising non-acquisition of a method qualification by the petitioner erstwhile she has brought laurels to the state each implicit the satellite speaks volumes astir the mode successful which we are treating our sporting heroes.”
The tribunal held it was a acceptable lawsuit wherever this Court should workout its powers nether Section 528 of BNSS to quash the impugned FIR and the proceedings emanating therefrom truthful arsenic to unafraid the ends of justice.
“This state has produced precise few sports personalities and coaches of the level of the petitioner and alternatively of honouring them and celebrating their achievements, it seems that the people at helm of affairs are leaving nary chromatic unturned successful harassing specified talented people,” the tribunal observed .
