For pole vaulters in the country, the biggest challenge is not to compete but to travel. Carrying their expensive poles and other gears to tournaments and returning home safely with poles is a logistical nightmare.
20-year-old Dev Meena, who broke his own national record several times in 2025, Kuldeep Yadav, his teammate, Ghanshyam Yadav, the coach, and some young athletes, were returning from Mangaluru to Bhopal after competing in the All India University Games in Mangaluru but at Panvel station suffered harrasment by a railway offical for carrying his sports equipment . In that tournament, Kuldeep ended up clinching the gold with a meet record of 5.10m. While Dev didn’t compete, as he was laid low by fever.
The train travel was already taxing for Dev, Kuldeep and his coach as they were guarding expensive equipment. But the situation just worsened after Dev’s phone was stolen somewhere between Ratnagiri and Panvel in the running train on January 17. The train arrived at the Panvel station from Mangaluru at around 10 AM. Then they were scheduled to board a connecting train to Bhopal.
“We had to change our train from Panvel, so we kept all our equipment carefully on one side of the platform so that no one could be disturbed,” Dev told Revsportz over a phone call. “Actually, my phone was stolen near Pannel and I went to the police station to file a complaint while the others stayed there with equipment.”
That’s when one of the railway authorities, identified as RK Nair, saw the specialised equipment and started creating an issue.
“He saw the poles and asked, ‘What is this? Why is it kept here?’” Dev recalled. “He told us that he had orders from above and said, ‘You can’t put this luggage here, you will be charged.’ Basically he wanted some money,” he noted.
Dev and Ghanshyam protested, explaining their status as India’s top athletes and coach. Even telling him that they’re coming back after winning the gold medal at the All India University Games, showing their participation certificates. However, nothing worked. Instead, the situation took a darker turn.
“Kuldeep had won gold with a meet record with us. But the officer didn’t understand anything. He was asking for Rs 8000, saying the order was from above. But we told them that it won’t work. So, he tried to settle with Rs 2,000 later,” Dev recalled the incident with a tinge of disappointment in his voice.
“How is this possible?” Dev questioned. “If someone is asking for a fine of ₹8,000 first, how is he asking for Rs 2,000? We requested them for a long time and told them that we are top athletes of India,” the National Record holder added.
Ghanshyam even urged the officer to share the contact number of his superior to clarify things.
“We asked them to give us the contact number of his senior. We will talk to him but he was not giving us his number. He neither gave us his number nor his name,” Ghanshyam said to Revsportz.
Both Dev and Kuldeep were carrying a total of 10 poles between them, and each of the poles cost approximately 2 lakhs after importing and shipping charges. And that means around Rs 20 lakhs.
“One fiberglass pole costs around Rs 2 lakhs and weighs around 2 kg. I carry 5-6 different sizes according to bar height. If there is a minor cut or scratch, the pole can break during the jump. There can be injuries,” Dev explained, emphasising why they cannot simply put the gear into a luggage coach.
Ghanshyam pleaded with folded hands, repeatedly explaining the situation but the officer didn’t listen. The standoff lasted 5-6 hours. Eventually they were forced to pay extra.
“Our luggage weighed 20 kg only but in the fine slip, the officer mentioned 80 kg in the receipt and charged Rs 1865 which is also not fair,” said Ghanshyam. “Earlier he asked for Rs 8000.”
By the time things got resolved, their connecting train to Bhopal had already departed. “We had a connecting train to Bhopal after 3 hours which we missed. Somehow, we took a train at 7:00 PM and reached late at night.”
While talking about the current issue, Ghanshyam also recalled his previous struggles of carrying poles for his ward.
“At the 2025 Federation Cup in Kochi, where Dev broke the national record by clearing 5.35m, I had to carry the poles on trains on a long 40-hour journey, while Dev travelled by flight to avoid the physical toll,” said Ghanshyam.
Despite the continuous logistical hurdles, Dev’s gaze always remains fixed on the sky. With the Asian Games approaching, and the qualification bar sitting at 5.45m, he is ready to soar and become India’s first-ever pole-vault entrant at the Asiad.
“It will be easy,” Dev, who holds the National Record at 5.40m says with the confidence of a champion. “I have done a lot last year. I will do more this year,” he concluded
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