Ranchi: Taking cognisance of a TOI report published on Tuesday highlighting the plight of Jharkhand throwball player Amardeep Kumar, chief minister Hemant Soren directed the sports department to immediately look into Kumar’s case and take “suitable action”.The direction came after former Jamshedpur MP and ex-Jharkhand Congress president Ajoy Kumar also shared the TOI report, “4 golds for India, but Jharkhand throwball star drives cab, sells vegetables to survive”, tagged the CM and sought permanent employment and financial assistance for the player. “This son of Jharkhand deserves respect,” he wrote.The report also prompted Jharkhand Milk Federation (Medha) to explore job opportunities for Kumar. A senior Medha representative contacted TOI seeking Kumar’s phone number.The 29-year-old Argora resident, whose father sells vegetables, took up throwball at 13 after being offered free training at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium. Of the disciplines taught there, throwball caught his imagination. The vegetable seller’s son quickly rose through the ranks and broke into the Indian team. He won his first international gold at the Asian Junior Throwball Championship in Malaysia in 2015, followed by titles in Kathmandu in 2017, Bengaluru in 2019 and Ranchi in 2026.Despite his achievements, Kumar has received neither financial security nor a govt job. He said repeated visits to the sports directorate yielded no result. A recent call from the sports minister’s personal assistant had raised hopes of a meeting, but there was no follow-up.
