Coach transferred following
athlete's suicide
Sandesh Prabhudesai
R Murlidharan, the athletics coach who is suspected to be the cause behind India junior athlete Pratima Gaonkar's suicide, has been transferred to the regional office of the Sports Authority of India at Gandhinagar for further inquiry.
Goa's SAI coordinator Roshan Lal Narhar confirmed that the coach was transferred after a preliminary inquiry into allegations against him was conducted.
The 18-year old athlete had committed suicide on October 9 by jumping into a well behind her house, in the remote village of Dabhal in eastern Goa, two days after returning from Kanpur.
Jayashree Gaonkar, the 42-year old widowed mother of Pratima, has alleged
that Murlidharan had been blackmailing her daughter and extracting money from
her, taking advantage of her sexual deformity.
Pratima had bagged a silver medal at the ninth Asian junior athletic championships, at Brunei from July 19 to 22.
Jayashree states that after her daughter was felicitated by the Goa government, who presented her a purse of Rs 11,000, Murlidharan had taken Rs 5,000 of the amount from her. The preliminary inquiry report has established with circumstantial evidence that the amount was withdrawn from Pratima's bank account on August 21.
It is learnt that Pratima went to the bank in Mapusa, despite it being the holiday, accompanied by a village friend who was studying with her in the hostel, and Murlidharan, and withdrew Rs 5,000. Murlidharan then left for Kerala the next day.
Jayashree adds that while Pratima was all prepared to go back to the SAI hostel in Mapusa on October 9, she was disturbed as Murlidharan had demanded Rs 50,000 more from her when she had phoned him the previous night.
It is suspected that Pratima decided to end her life to avoid the blackmailing as she came from a very poor background.
Jayashree had brought up her three children by doing all kinds of odd jobs in the village.
According to Roshan Lal, Murlidharan will be interrogated further by
the SAI's legal cell, based on which a charge sheet may be filed against him. If guilty he may also be suspended.
Meanwhile, Nilima Deshpande, a lady coach from Pune, has been deputed at the SAI hostel in Mapusa, where around 12 female athletes are undergoing training.
