Arunima, boarded a train to Delhi from Lucknow, the volleyball player intended to join a CISF recruitment drive to take place in Noida. However, a day later when she woke up, she found herself in a hospital with her leg amputated.
With her dreams shattered, Arunima appealed to all concerned in the corridors of power to give her a job and not just mere cash.
Reacting to the incident, Sports Minister of India, Ajay Maken said he will write to the Home ministry to give a suitable job to volleyball player Arunima Sinha, who lost her leg after she was thrown out of a moving train near Bareilly by three men on her way to Delhi for a CISF recruitment examination.
Arunima, a 23-year-old national level woman volleyball player, was pushed by three men out of the Padmavat Express on Tuesday night between Chenati and Bareilly railway stations while she tried to resist a robbery attempt.
As she fell on the track, she was hit by another train moving on a parallel track and her left leg below the knee was crushed. A profusely bleeding Sonu was rushed to the district hospital in Bareilly, where her leg was amputated.
"A Sports Authority of India official will reach Bareilly on Thursday to hand over Rs 25,000 to her and we will give more money if required for her treatment," Maken said on the sidelines of South Asian Football Federation seminar.
"I am writing to the Home ministry requesting them to give her a job since she was going for her examination for CISF which comes under Home ministry," he said.
"I have also requested the railway ministry to inquire into the incident and give her compensation since the incident happened while she was travelling in a train," he added.
Maken apologises to Football Heroes
Meanwhile, Maken also apologised to the members of the 1960 Indian Olympic football team some of whom have complained that they had to foot the hotel bill for overnight stay before they were felicitated by the ministry.
"I apologised if that had happened. There was no intention that we would want them to pay their bills of say Rupees 1000 by themselves when we are giving them Rupees one and half lakh each for their achievements in football. I am sorry for that," he said.
The members of the 1960 team -- captain P K Banerjee, Chunni Goswami, Tulsidas Balaram, S Narayanan, Fortunata A Franco, O Chandrashekhar, S S Hakim, S H Hamid, Arun Lal Ghosh, Simon Sunder Raj and the wives of late Peter Thanga Raj and D Kannan -- were presented with a silver plaque, a shawl and a cheque of Rs 1.5 lakh each by the sports ministry.
The Indian team had put up an impressive performance in 1960 Rome Olympics by creating scare among power houses of European football. They drew 1-1 with France and lost 1-2 to Hungary to take the world by surprise.
Railways wake-up
Meanwhile, Railways on Thursday assured a job to national volleyball player Arunima Sinha alias Sonu who lost her leg after being thrown out from a running train near Barelli on Monday.
"We are extending all help for her rehabilitation which include a suitable job in railway," Railway Board Chairman Vivek Sahai told PTI.
"The Railway Minister (Mamata Banerjee) has expressed her concern about this unfortunate incident and ordered to extend all financial assistance for giving adequate and proper medical attention to her," Sahai said.
Recuperating in the Barelli civic hospital, Arunima Sinha alias Sonu said she should be given job by the Railways and compensation.
The Railways has formed a four-member team to inquire into the incident.
Sahai also said that Railways would bear all her treatment cost including providing a prosthetic leg.
Sports Ministry provides assistance
Sports Minister Ajay Maken on Thursday announced a medical compensation of Rupees 200,000 for the treatment of injured national level woman volleyball player Sonu Sinha.
"Last night, the Sports ministry had announced an ex-gratia amount of Rupees 25,000 and after receiving the report from the SAI officials, we have decided to give her a medical compensation of Rupees 200,000 for her treatment," Maken said.
"As soon as the sports ministry came to know about the unfortunate incident, we deputed three officers from the Sports Authority of India to visit the hospital, where Sonu alias Arunima is admitted, and submit a report in this matter immediately.
"After receiving the report, we decided to give Rupeess 200,000 for her medical treatment and if necessary, we are going to give more money for whatever treatment she requires to get into best of health," he added.
He also appealed to the Uttar Pradesh administration to speed up its inquiry into the matter and ensure the security of women travelling in trains.
"I would also like to appeal to the UP state government to come forward and help this athlete. It is the duty of the UP adminsitration to take care of Sonu Sinha. She had represented Uttar Pradesh in National School Games in 2002 and the incident happened near Bareilly, so I want them to help her in all possible ways and compensate her adequately. But at this stage I don't want to get into details," he said.
Maken also informed reporters that he had written to Home and Railway ministries to give a suitable job to volleyball player, since she was travelling by train for her examination for CISF which comes under Home ministry.
"I wrote a letter last night to the Railway minister asking her to give adequate compensation to this athlete and also to speed up the inquiry so that justice can be done.
"Similarly, I have written a letter to the Home minister, requesting him that since she was going for a CISF interview which she will now not be able to attend and perhaps after losing a limb, she may not be able to play as actively as she used to play earlier, it would be in fitness of things and justice that CISF gives her a job for which she was travelling by that train," he said.
Sonu had also represented Chattisgarh in the Inter-university Volleyball championship in 2004.
