CHENNAI: An ordeal lasting five hours and a missed train — this was what national pole vaulters were subjected to after taking part in an All-India event. National record holder Dev Meena, Kuldeep Yadav and coach Ghanshyam were seen contending that those with them were sports equipment necessary for their performance while railway officials in the video were seen disregarding their plea to carry it back to their homes in Bhopal.
After reaching Panvel near Navi Mumbai from Mangaluru on January 17, a day after the All India University Games concluded, they had a two-hour break between their connecting train to Bhopal. Little did they know that unloading the 20kg equipments may cost them their journey. Meena, in a video shared on social media platforms, said: "If a national record holder like me is subjected to such problems, then what can we expect if the junior athletes carry such equipments," he says in the video.
Ghanshyam elucidated the incident. "After returning from Mangaluru, we were scheduled to leave for Bhopal, but our train was delayed. We kept our poles in the corner of the stations and when we returned, the station master was asking us about the poles. We explained the poles are for the athletes, but they insisted that we only take it after we pay a fine," he said.
Then, the coach went on to contact former Olympian Renjith Maheshwary, who is posted as a railway sports officer in Central Railways in a bid to seek relief from this ordeal. "They had demanded a fine of Rs 8000. But the actual fine was Rs 2000, to which we paid Rs 1865. We had even shown them the letter signed by the Directorate of the Sports and Youth Affairs department that allows athletes to bring their poles while travelling in trains," Ghanshyam added.
For Meena this is second time within a year that he has garnered attention for his equipment. After breaking the national record in the 2025 National Federation Senior Athletics Championships in Kochi, Ghanshyam had to travel 40-hours with the equipment, while Meena took the flight to avoid fatigue.
In a tweet, the Central Railways' Mumbai Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) said that these poles could inconvenience fellow passengers if carried in passenger coaches. "Hence they were advised to carry it in Seating and Luggage Rakes (SLR) to avoid inconvenience to fellow passengers." the tweet, which was posted on Tuesday, read.
The coach contended that if the poles are kept at these luggage compartments, they can be damaged. "The poles are made out of fibre glass and it is not easy to purchase them. They are imported from countries like USA and Germany and they cost around Rs 2 lakh," he added.
Ghanshyam said that in their journeys so far, they have not faced any objections from passengers. "This is the first time we were stopped because of the equipment," he claimed.
To avoid situations like these, the coach requested the Sports ministry to bring a policy for athletes to bring equipments without any hassles.