Indian Sprinter Dutee Chand Opens Up About Facing Ragging In Sports Hostel, Says They Mentally And Physically Tortured Her
When I was in college, I often heard stories of ragging that would take place in other colleges but did not fully understand it. But that soon changed when I faced ragging in my hostel in Chennai. It was brutal. I stil remember crying myself to sleep every night for 2 months straight and it was worse because there was no one in the city that I could go to. However, from the third month onwards, something inside of me shifted and I fought back. Soon after that, I left the hostel but those 3 months were miserable. And the sad truth is that almost every single woman who has ever lived in a hostel has faced this. In fact, Indian sprinter Dutee Chand recently opened up about her how even she faced ragging in the sports hostel where she used to reside.
Dutee Chand, who is a national champion sprinter, revealed that she struggled with ragging during her stay in the sports hostel in Bhubaneshwar. She said that she was mentally harassed and tortured by seniors there.
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Dutee Chand came across a Facebook post wherein the user had shared tips on how to avoid ragging in educational institutions. And reacting to that she said, “Seniors used to force me to massage their bodies and wash their clothes at the sports hostel. When I opposed them, they used to harass me.”
As per reports, the sprinter even went on to say that an 18-year-old girl named Ruchika Mohanty committed suicide and in her note, she wrote about how she was mentally tortured and ragged by three of her seniors and that she couldn’t take it anymore. Dutee Chand said that she felt helpless after the suicide that triggered a huge furor in Odisha.
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The athelete even went on to say that it became really difficult for her to focus on sports as the ragging started to take a toll on her mental health as seniors would comment on her family’s social and financial status. Dutee Chand further added, “The incident had an impact on my mental condition. It is very difficult to remain focused on sports after the incidents of ragging and those who survive this stay in hostel. But many give up and go back home.”
The Olympian who is part of the Indian relay team for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in July said that she even tried complaining to the authorities but no action would be taken. Rather she would get scolded for it. She added that she felt helpless during her stay in the sports hostel.
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