I got this from a friend and I thought it was very, very sad.
So do you know who Abhinav Bindra is? He is the current World and Olympic champion in the 10 m Air Rifle event. He is also the first Indian to win an individual gold medal at the Olympic Games.
Now how many of you know who Asif Hossain Khan is? In the 2002 Commonwealth Games, Abhinav Bindra won the silver medal. Guess who won gold? Asif Hossain Khan from Bangladesh? So where was Asif in Beijing?
On October 2, 2006, after a rough incident between police and shooting federation staff, police broke into the federation premises and assaulted several shooters including Asif. Asif and his fellow shooters were preparing for the 2006 Asian Games to be held at Doha on November 2006. An altercation occurred between a police chauffeur and a federation guard regarding the parking of a car. Following this, police came to the spot and, according to witnesses, beat "whoever they found". Police beat Asif in multiple areas and severely injured his left arm and leg.
Asif said, "We, in fact, tried to stop the brawl but police would not listen to us". He also tried to protect himself by asserting his identity and success to his attackers. However, the police appeared to intensify their violence after this revelation. He, along with four other shooters and staff, were taken to the police station and beaten again. They were later sent to court by the police. Asif was granted bail from the court and was admitted to hospital. Doctors suggested that his arm muscles were badly injured and would take time to recover. His leg was also injured seriously and doctors were uncertain of when he would be able to practice again. Asif's mental and emotional trauma was also apparent as he claimed he would give up shooting. [source]
Do you know what this parking incident was? This fight was about some police DIG's chauffeur trying to park his car at a no-parking spot. The DIG's wife was in the car, not the DIG. The fight broke between the chauffeur and some guard who insisted not to park. So, for a freaking chauffeur who so desperately needed to illegally park his car, we lost a possible gold medal in the Olympics. Here's to the army solving all of Bangladesh's problems.
11 comments:
stupid mofos
- Athena
A sad story indeed. There was an interview with Asif in Prothom Alo after the Indian Gold medal. It was disappointing to read. One interesting tidbit from that article was that apparently Asif was sent to China on training and did not do so well, although he blamed his lack of success due to lack of support. In any event, the police event sucks big time.
Athena: couldn't have said it better myself.
Ulysses: Yes, after that incident I have no doubt he wouldn't do as well - often in these sports an injury to such a critical body part (arm and leg) is career threatening.
Also, in a wider context, there is absolutely zero support for our atheletes. Infrastructure in our country is terrible and corruption is rampant.
"Here's to the army solving all of Bangladesh's problems."
Dont you think you are framing the wrong cause with the wrong culprit? The culprit was the driver and the wife (if she insisted on parking there), not the army. The army have other issues worse than this to be blamed for.
That's really sad.. am sure Asif would have managed a great spot for his country... I think the system really needs a kick in the back..
Oh boy. *sigh* First, the man plays for your country... then you treat him like shit. As the days go by, i think i'm going to stop blaming those of my countrymen who opt for immigration.
When your own country refuses to honor you, respect you, and treasure you, no wonder they get the same attitude back from the stars/players who fail dope tests or throw away matches.
Very very upsetting.
oh shit, this is sad, i am at a loss for words.
As a matter of fact, i am not. here goes &*&* $^%!GJUT&(* U&&(&(* ^&HGU&&^$%$^% R
Shovon: The thing is, people in the Bangladesh army seems to think they are a class above everyone else. I personally have relatives /friends in the army and especially in the officer class, and these people think the law doesn't apply to them.
The wife and the driver in this scenario comes from that entitlement mentality and the rush of police to beat up anyone on the army's command stems from this mentality. And now, we have entrusted these bunch to solve our problems.
Wakas Mir: The "system"? We don't even have one. Corruption rules supreme. It's in the blood.
Miss Specs: I know.. this hurts. I wonder why anyone would give his blood, sweat and time to the country.
Tazeen: Well said!
Mezba Bhai,
I was always a bit suspicious of army-run govts., however I have learned that if you critisize them, you will very easily be termed "Hasina/Khaleda crony".
In Pakistan, the army uses its influence to a much greater degree, and many Bangladeshi army members dream of such a day when they have greater freedoms.
But arguing such points is useless, you will be termed "traitor", or someone who is ungrateful to the army which protects us, or told to move to India... etc
Another point is that many army members think they are the only human beings capable of running organizations because of their strict training. So they sometimes have a very dismissive view of civilians who are seen as untrustworthy and incapable.
Hi,
Its a sad story and a story that many of the third world countries can relate. Abhinav Bindra won the gold, but did u see his palace like home with all the sophisticated shooting technologies? I believe there are more sharp shooters that are better than him, like Asif Khan, but with lower privileges, they are not even able to enter the Olympics. And the government of these countries are not interested in sports, to give any encouragement to athletes.
Musa: welcome to the blog and thank you for the comment.
Yes I know, the army thinks it's the only one capable of running the country because they are "above" politics. But the sad situation is that absolute power corrupts, absolutely. And our army is not free of personell who cannot be tempted, corrupted or be crooked. The only difference is - unlike politicians - there's no accountability.
Najeeba: Yes, I saw his house - he has his own shooting range. Unfortunately with half the country below the poverty line, the government can hardly justify spending on atheletes. I look at Malaysia as a strong example of what can happen when you have a determined and strong leader.
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