Stranded And Shamed: India's Top Pole Vaulters Forced To Deboard Train, Incident Sparks Row

In a controversial incident, two of India's top pole vaulters, Dev Meena and Kuldeep Yadav, were forced to deboard a train by a Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) at Panvel station on January 19, 2026. The athletes were allegedly told they could not carry their essential sports equipment – their poles – on the train. The incident has sparked outrage on social media, with many questioning the treatment of athletes by Indian Railways.

Meena, the national record holder in men's pole vault, and Yadav were traveling back to their base after participating in the All India Inter-University Championships. According to Meena and Yadav, they were stranded at Panvel station for approximately five hours, attempting to explain to railway authorities that the poles were essential for their sport. They even offered to pay fines, but their requests were reportedly rejected.

A video of the incident has gone viral, showing Meena speaking openly about the harassment he faced. In the video, Meena questions the treatment meted out to athletes and wonders what junior athletes might be facing. The incident has drawn attention to the challenges faced by pole vaulters in India, particularly regarding the transportation of their equipment. Pole vaulting is known as one of the toughest events in athletics, and transporting the poles adds to the difficulty.

This is not an isolated incident. In March 2022, Pavithra Venkatesh, a national pole vault champion, along with four other athletes, were forced to deboard a train at Kollam Junction after a ticket collector objected to them tying their poles to the window railings. They were left stranded until they got permission from railway officials to continue their journey. Venkatesh described the experience as humiliating, stating that they were treated as if they were caught stealing.

Following the 2022 incident, Railways released a statement saying the ticket collector objected due to the “potential risk that poles could infringe the signalling post or any other objects during the train running."

Dev Meena had broken his own national record with a jump of 5.35m at the National Federation Senior Athletics Championships in April 2025. He had previously set the national mark at 5.32m during the Uttarakhand National Games in February.

The incident involving Meena and Yadav has reignited the debate about the support and understanding given to athletes in India. Many are calling for better coordination between sports organizations and transportation authorities to ensure that athletes can travel with their equipment without facing harassment or obstruction.