Devarajan's long wait for promotion

Devarajan's long wait for promotion

Kamesh Srinivasan
NEW DELHI: Indian boxing may have hit a high with medals in the Olympics and World Championships, not to forget two gold medals in the Asian Games, but the performance of one of the early achievers, V. Devarajan, who won Indian boxing's first bronze medal abroad in a World Cup in 1994, is yet to be recognised by his employer, the Railways.

Fighting for his right with the Railway Board for the last seven years, Arjuna awardee Devarajan had got a favourable verdict from the Central Administrative Tribunal recently, and hopes for a promotion to Assistant Sports Officer in the near future.

The 37-year-old Devarajan, a graduate, who had joined Railways in 1991, had been adjudged the ‘sportsperson of the year' by the Railways in 1995. He had won the national championship gold medal five times. He had also been adjudged the ‘best boxer' twice in inter-Railway championships.

However, his attempt to get promotion to the officer level from the clerical cadre had been constantly met with resistance from the Railway Board on some ground or the other, though he has been able to prove that sportspersons with much lesser credentials than he had got promotion. In fact, Devarajan had got a favourable order from the tribunal as far back as 2007, and subsequent appeal by the Railways in the High Court of Madras had been dismissed in 2008.

Having represented the country in the Asian Games, Olympics, World Championship, World Cup, Commonwealth Games and SAF Games, Devarajan had reached a career high World rank of No. 3. He had argued that boxers like Jitender Kumar and Akhil Kumar who had won World Cup bronze medals much recently had been given ‘out of turn' promotion by the Railways.

Devarajan was the second boxer after Zoram Thanga to win a medal in a World Cup. He won the Mayor's Cup in Manila in 1993, and the SAF Games gold in Chennai in 1995.

He had been drafted into the selection committee of the national federation and had also been part of the panel to select the Arjuna awardees. “The contention of the respondents that the applicant was not considered for promotion as he did not have due seniority is not correct,” observed the tribunal.

In its final verdict, the tribunal has recommended that appropriate orders be passed, promoting the applicant to the post of Assistant Sports Officer with all consequential benefits, and has also stipulated a time frame of three months for the execution of the order.

At a time when the Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee has been showering rewards, to the tune of a few crore rupees, on the sportspersons for their achievements in the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, it is strange that a boxer of considerable merit, has had to fight the system for so long for a promotion.

Though justice has been delayed, Devarajan hopes it would not be denied, any further.

Source: The Hindu