NRAI alleges partiality after Dhanush Srikanth's disqualification from Asian Championships

Dhanush Srikanth, a hearing-impaired shooter, was recently disqualified from the ongoing Asian Shooting Championships in Changwon, South Korea. The reason for his disqualification was that his apparel stiffness was 2.9 instead of the required 3.0.

Had it not been for Dhanush's disqualification, the Indian team would have walked away with gold at the Asian Championships in the 10m air rifle event, alongside a junior Asian record. Given that Dhanush Srikanth qualified for the individual finals, he would have had the chance to shoot for a second medal as well.

Now, the National Rifle Association of India has spoken out, saying that the officials of the event did not follow the correct procedure for the shooter's disqualification and have lodged a protest for the same.

Speaking to PTI, NRAI secretary Rajiv Bhatia said:

“The organizers did not even declare that Dhanush was being disqualified. He was not even shown the red card. A protest has been lodged with the organizers. We have also met the Asian Shooting Confederation (ASC) president and informed him about the same."

Bhatia also alleged that the disqualification could be a result of partiality, comparing Dhanush Srikanth's disqualification to the bad refreeship Neeraj Chopra faced at Hangzhou's Asian Games.

"What happened in China has anyone been able to do anything in athletics? They have done the same thing in Korea (with Dhanush). Yes, it's possible that partiality can happen. The next in line (to qualify for the finals) was a Korean marksman. So, who was the beneficiary (if Dhanush was disqualified). It can happen,” he said.

“The judges are required to officiate impartially and the IOC charter also desires so. Juries were required to test, as per rules, at five specific points on the trouser but they checked only at two points and the trouser was rejected by a 0.1 margin. The correct procedure was not adopted by the juries,” he added.

Dhanush Srikanth's family shocked after his disqualification from Asian Championships

Dhanush Srikanth was disqualified from the Asian Championships due to an issue with his apparel. Shooters tend to wear "stiff kits" when at competitions to provide stability to their body and improve their precision. ISSF rules state that the stiffness of the apparel has to be 3.0, while Dhanush trousers measured 2.9.

After his disqualification, the shooter's family was left shocked and disappointed, as this was his last junior shooting competition. His mother said:

“He was very much prepared and confident. He kept saying before leaving ‘Mamma I will come back with a medal’. This was shocking and disturbing. He was very upset, we could only support him by saying it’s all part of the game. But he kept saying, ‘mamma I was not able to play. I was just disqualified’,” his mother Asha Srikanth told PTI.