Pistol coach, who guided Manu Bhaker & Sarabjot to Olympic medals, faces eviction from 75-year-old home

By Sunita Iyer | First Published Aug 2, 2024, 3:50 PM IST

Pistol shooters have secured two of India's three medals at the ongoing Paris Games. Manu Bhaker won the bronze in the individual 10m air pistol event and then teamed up with Sarabjot Singh to claim third place in the mixed team category.

Upon his return from the Paris Olympics, national pistol coach Samaresh Jung was shocked to discover that his family home of nearly 75 years had been declared an "illegal construction." Jung, known as 'Goldfinger' for his remarkable achievement of winning seven gold, five silver, and two bronze medals in the 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games, was given just 48 hours to vacate the property.

"This was a property we were staying on for the last 75 years. In 1978, the land and structure were leased out to a Mr. Singh, and we have been paying rent to him since then," Jung stated, clearly distressed, in a PTI report. He revealed that he was informed of the eviction notice from the Land and Development Office (L&DO) only after arriving home from Paris.

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The L&DO's sudden notice comes amid ongoing success for Indian pistol shooters at the Paris Games, where Manu Bhaker secured a bronze in the individual 10m air pistol event and later teamed up with Sarabjot Singh to clinch another bronze in the mixed team category. Despite these achievements, Jung's immediate concern has shifted to his housing predicament.

Jung's house, located in the Civil Lines area, is among 200 homes ordered to be vacated within two days. The Delhi High Court is set to hear the matter on Monday. "I am not above the law, and I will vacate if this is what the law demands. But two days' notice is not the way. At least give us a couple of months to move out," he pleaded, questioning the urgency of the situation. "Is it an emergency or war situation that we have to vacate in a day?"

The 54-year-old coach, who currently has no other residence in Delhi, expressed his concerns about relocating on such short notice. "Now, I have nowhere to go. I have a huge library of more than 1000 books, and my brother has gone house hunting while we try to pack everything," he concluded.

The swift eviction order has left Jung and his family scrambling to find a new home, raising concerns over the adequacy of notice and the enforcement of eviction procedures. The upcoming court hearing may determine the future of these families in the affected area.

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