The late hockey legend Balbir Singh Sr once said of his missing memorabilia, “In your old age you want to be able to find happiness by looking at what you have achieved in your life.”
Over the last 10 years, his family members left no stone unturned to get back his memories, which he donated in 1985. Play Authority of India.
One of India’s greatest hockey players, who won three Olympic gold medals in an illustrious career, Singh passed away in May 2020 after battling multiple health issues.
His missing memorabilia included an Olympic blazer, medals and rare pictures. It was donated to SAI for a proposed museum which never saw the light of day.
“When denied, he compares the pain of his loss to the passing of a close family member,” Singh’s maternal grandfather Kabir told PTI here on Sunday.
The family says they discovered the items were missing when the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Museum wanted to make Melbourne Games blazers part of the official 2012 London Olympic exhibition. There he was honored as one of 16 Olympic icons in all disciplines in the 116 years of the modern Olympics.
“At that time we approached SAI to get that blazer as Nanaji (Balbir Sr) had nothing but an Olympic medal in London. But SAI officials said that they did not know about the whereabouts of the treasure,” Kabir said.
He said that these articles are part of our national sports heritage.
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A group of lawyers of the Punjab and Haryana High Court filed multiple RTIs at the SAI office in New Delhi and the National Institute of Sports (NIS), Patiala, which revealed that the articles were actually obtained from Singh by these officials.
“We also have the original newspaper clipping with a picture of the handover in 1985. If we didn’t, they would have continued to deny that the national treasure of our country’s sporting history was ever given,” he said.
Kabir said that after the death of the hockey legend, assurances were given by various officials that the matter would be thoroughly investigated.
Finally an FIR was registered three years ago by the National Institute of Sports at Civil Lines Police Station, Patiala.
“It was handed over to an assistant sub-inspector of police for investigation,” Kabir said, adding, “No real progress has been made.”
“In September 2021, we approached the then DIG, Patiala Police Range, Gurpreet Singh Toor with a request that a Special Investigation Team of Punjab Police be constituted to transfer the case.
“The specific request for SIT was because by law a SIT is also empowered to investigate outside the state boundaries. We are grateful to him that the request of the SIT was approved and a three-member SIT headed by the then SP-Investigation (Patiala) Dr Mehtab Singh (IPS) was constituted,” Kabir said.
“While this was the last piece of good news, the SIT constituted in September 2021 has not even visited our house in Chandigarh to record our statements or RTI responses received till date,” he said.
“I won’t deny that it’s incredibly disappointing, but I won’t give up.”
He said the family has requested to meet Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to see if a time-bound inquiry can be conducted.
“I am sure that a properly dedicated investigation by a professional police force will help solve the case. If not, we will approach the judiciary,” said Singh’s daughter Sushbir Kaur.
“As long as I am alive and then my son, we will keep pushing for answers,” said Kaur, the wife of a deceased Air Force officer.
Kaur said that it is unimaginable how such precious things can be lost.
“He is treated in his own country that he has been robbed and there is no answer. No one is held accountable?
“Missing means an article or two, if everything related to one player disappears, it points a very strong finger towards a plot. The press or the public or the government will have to find answers.
“How and why has this been done? It is not a direct answer,” she said.
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