After their triumphant performance at the Asian Championships, the Indian archery team found themselves in dire straits in Dhaka. The sudden cancellation of the flight, fueled by escalating unrest in the city, left them stranded for the night in an inadequate shelter, without security. The riots resulted in missed flights and unexpected expenses that cast a shadow over their extraordinary victory. NEW DELHI: Indian archers returning from their best campaign at the Asian Championships were thrown into a night of fear and chaos in Dhaka after their flight to Delhi was cancelled, leaving them without security in a city gripped by street violence. Several team members – including two minors – were forced to spend the night in what they described as a “substandard shelter” miles from the airport, enduring nearly 10 grueling hours with no support or clarity from the airline.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!The 11-member group, which included seniors Abhishek Verma, Jyoti Surekha and Olympian Dhiraj Bommadevara, boarded their flight at 9.30 pm on Saturday when they were told that the plane had a technical snag. At the time, Dhaka was on edge, awaiting the verdict of a special tribunal against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, sparking widespread unrest.As the announcements were delayed until 2 am, the cancellation left the Indian contingent helpless. What followed was worse.They were bundled into a “windowless local bus” and taken nearly 30 minutes to what Verma described as a “makeshift hut resembling a dharamshala” — not a hotel.“The place was very miserable. There were six double beds for women in one room. There was only one toilet and the condition was very bad,” Verma told PTI. “It was such that I don’t think anyone could bathe there.”
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Attempts to move to a safer location failed because their international cards didn’t work and ride-hailing apps like Uber refused payment. “We have not managed anything… And we have not been confirmed for a flight,” Verma said. “If they had told us we were leaving by 11 o’clock, we would have stayed at the airport.The next morning, the group returned to the airport at 7 a.m., but misery hit India: several archers missed onward connections to Hyderabad and Vijayawada, forcing expensive rebooking and long road trips. “One ticket from Mumbai to Delhi cost more than Rs 20,000. The federation had to bear thousands of rupees,” Verma said.He criticized the airline’s handling of the crisis, adding: “Your plane broke down and you know there’s a riot going on outside. How did they put us on local transport? If something happened – who would be responsible?”The harrowing journey overshadowed India’s historic performance in Dhaka, where they topped the medal table with 10 podium finishes, including six golds, ahead of powerhouse South Korea.
