'Don't tarnish my image'

Injured volleyball player Arunima Sinha says she doesn't want any compensation at such a cost

After Government Railway Police said that she might have either attempted suicide or met with an accident but was not attacked by robbers, the national level volleyball player Arunima Sinha said these statements were just attempts to tarnish her image. "I will definitely take action act against them," she said while speaking to MiD Day.


Will fight on: Arunima Sinha. File pic

The Government Railway Police have said that you were not attacked by robbers but might have attempted suicide or met with an accident. What do you have to say about their investigation?
I am really hurt by all these statements. I know whatever I am saying is true and I will definitely prove them wrong once I get better. I am a player and please don't involve me in cheap politics. Money is not important to me.

Some statements were made about your personal life too..
I am not able to understand why they are saying such things about me. I really don't want any compensation at the cost of my image. They have completely tarnished it. But I will not tolerate it at all and will definitely take some action against them. They just can't run away from their responsibility by giving me some amount of money. I am a player and respect is of utmost importance for us.

Is government doing enough for the safety of women travelling in trains?
They should ensure proper safety for women travelling in trains. When I was travelling, there was no security officer in the compartment and I fought with those people alone. The police have still not been able to arrest those who pushed me. A large number of people saw me fighting with those robbers but nobody helped me. They were all afraid of getting involved in the matter.

Are you happy with the treatment you are getting at AIIMS?
Yes, I am really lucky that I was brought here. This is the best hospital and I am really happy with the treatment.

A name Navneet Mishra has cropped up in this controversy. Do you know this person?
He is my friend and I call him at times. Everyone is just trying to find reasons to create more controversies in my case. I really want to get out soon so that I can come out with my side of the story too.

What went wrong
Almost a fortnight after Arunima claimedu00a0 that she was thrown out of a moving train when she resisted a robbery attempt, the Government Railway Police (GRP) questioned the veracity of the victim's version.
Sources said the police have got Arunima's injuries analysed by medico-legal experts who ruled that her injuries did not match with her description of the incident.u00a0ADG Railways said tracks on which the Padmawati Express had passed on the day of the incident and the exact spot where her leg was crushed, were at least 16 feet apart. This raised a question on Arunima's claims that she was thrown off the moving coach, he said. Arunima claimed that after boarding the train she kept her cellphone and purse inside a yellow polythene bag which had all her belongings and the bag was left inside the train when she was thrown off. However, the cellphone was traced to a labourer in Chineti who told the police that he found it near the spot where Arunima was found. The cellphone call details too show that Arunima had a chat with her brother-in-law at Lucknow and a friend in Noida after she boarded the train.