Casteist Slurs, Abuses Hurled At Vandana Katariya’s Family After India’s Loss To Argentina At Olympics

Haridwar: A day after the whole nation had applauded the Indian Women’s hockey team for reaching the semi-finals, there was misery in store for team member Vandana Katariya’s family when the team lost to Argentina at Tokyo Olympics 2020.

Two men from the upper caste hurled abuses at the family in their village, the Times of India (TOI) reported.

“Suddenly, right after the match, we heard loud noises. Crackers were being burst outside our house. When we went outside, we saw two men from our village — we know them and they are upper castes — dancing in front of our house,” Vandana’s brother Shekhar told TOI.

“They used caste slurs, insulted our family and said the Indian team lost because too many Dalits have made it to the team. They went on, saying that it’s not just hockey but every sport that should keep Dalits out. Then, they took some of their clothes off and started dancing again…It was a caste-based attack,” Shekhar’s complaint to the police read.

The report added that one of the accused has been detained by the police, however, an FIR is yet to be registered.

One of the top players in the team, Vandana made history in the South Africa match by becoming the first Indian women’s player to score a hat-trick in Olympics as the team won 4-3. The victory helped India reach the quarter-finals for the first time.