Bhubaneswar: Former captain of the Indian hockey team and Olympian Prabodh Tirkey alleged that police in charge of traffic regulation for Asian Athletes Championship misbehaved with him today at Jayadev Vihar square here near Kalinga Stadium.
Driver of a VIP vehicle first ensued arguments with the hockey midfielder at the traffic point. Tirkey brought the matter to the notice of nearby traffic police. However, the cops let the VIP vehicle pass and rather heckled Tirkey after making him park his car on the road.
“I felt embarrassed when the security personnel misbehaved with me in public despite being aware of my identity. They detained and heckled me for some time instead of the traffic violators,” Tirkey said.
Meanwhile, the incident took a political turn as BJP Yuva Morcha staged a protest at Master Canteen square here demanding action against the erring cops. Similarly, party activists protested and burnt effigy of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Sundergarh, the home town of Tirkey.
The youth wing of the saffron party has called for four-hour bandh tomorrow in Balishankar block in Sundergarh district protesting the alleged police misbehaviour with the hockey star.
Union Minister Sundergarh MP Jual Oram condemned the incident. “Misbehaviour with a popular hockey star shows government’s encouragement to sportspersons is just an eyewash,” Oram said.
BJD spokesperson Divya Shankar Mishra appealed to the BJP to refrain from doing politics over a petty issue. “BJP should not try to tarnish the State’s image by politicising the matter. The security arrangements have been made for the safety of sports persons like Prabodh Tirkey. Police never misbehave with the sportsperson intentionally,” Mishra said.