Dutee Chand’s elder sister said on Monday that the Indian sprinter’s partner was “pressurising and blackmailing” her for wealth and property, reports NDTV. “Dutee has been pressurised and blackmailed into marriage by that girl and her family. All of this has been done to grab her property and wealth,” the Asian Games medalist’s sister Saraswati Chand told ANI.
She went on to say that “Dutee’s life and property are in danger. I request the government to provide her protection and security.”
Saraswati, who is also an athlete, said her sister had been “led into a trap” to “deviate her from sports”.
Dutee had on Sunday revealed that she is in a same-sex relationship with a girl from her hometown of Chaka Gopalpur in Odisha. She, however, did not reveal her partner’s identity, saying she did not want make her “the centre of undue attention”.
Asked if their family approved of Dutee’s relationship, Saraswati said: “She is an adult. It’s her decision whether she wants to marry a girl or a boy. But Dutee has been forced to say all this. Otherwise, a decision about marriage could have been discussed later.”
“Those who claim to have played a role in Dutee’s success are the culprits. Instead of focusing on the 2020 Olympics and World Championship, she’s been dragged into this,” she added.
