Kolkata: Former top Indian woman swimmer Bula Chaudhary suffered another heartbreaking blow when 120 gold medals, including her Padma Shri award, were stolen from her Hooghly residence on Friday. This is the second time her medals have been looted, taking the total stolen count to around 150 medals. The former national champion has been left deeply shocked.
Chaudhary, who also owns a house in South Kolkata, was alerted by her Hooghly neighbour that the lock on one of her doors had been broken. Upon receiving the disturbing news over phone, she and her family rushed to Hooghly and lodged a complaint with the police.
Speaking to reporters, Chaudhary said: “I have lost 120 gold medals among 150 in total. These were won at national and international competitions during my career. Among the stolen medals are 10 golds from the South Asian Federation (SAF) Games. I also won the Arjuna Award and the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Sports Award, which were kept in the house too but fortunately, they have not been stolen. I am deeply distressed. If the authorities cannot protect such medals, then what is the point of winning them?”
Back in March 2015, Chaudhary’s medals were stolen in a similar incident. Following that, police had deployed a security outpost outside her home, but the protection was withdrawn during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. Chaudhary added: “My family and I visit our Hooghly residence every two to three months. Police are investigating.”
Apart from her swimming career, Bula Chaudhary also contested the 2006 West Bengal Assembly elections from Nandanpur on a CPI(M) ticket and represented the constituency until 2011.
-
-
-
-
