The Indian Railways on Monday dismissed media reports that said that four national women's hockey players were made to sit on the floor while travelling from Ranchi to Rourkela via Bokaro-Alleppey Express train.
"The news reports about women's hockey team, after their return from Rio Olympics being forced to sit on the floor while they were travelling from Ranchi to Rourkela via Bokaro-Alleppey Express train is completely false. Also, the information that of the TTE asked them to sit on the floor of the bogey of the train is untrue," the statement said.
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The Indian Railways also said that the players - Deep Grace Ekka, Namita Toppo, Sunita Lakra and Lilima Minz - who represented India at the Rio Olympics - reached the station from the Ranchi airport and took the train without any information to the Indian Railways. "However, when the players boarded the train with unconfirmed tickets, the TTE took only 20 minutes to make seats available to them," the statement added.
It was found out that the players belonging to Odisha are employees of the Railways and they had preponed their journey to home as they were in a hurry to meet their family members. "The hockey players hold no grudge against the Indian Railways and the same was communicated by them to the Indian Railways authorities," the statement said.
