Woman cricketer Rajashree Swain who dreamed of wearing the Indian national jersey was found hanging from a tree in a dense forest near Athagarh in Cuttack district on Friday.
Rajashree Swain Found Hanging From a Tree
Hailing from the Puri district, the 26-year-old used to be a right-handed batter and have the ability to bowl medium-fast deliveries.
According to reports, as many as 25 women cricketers, including Rajashree, were part of a training camp organised at Bajrakabati here for an upcoming national-level cricket tournament scheduled to be held in Puducherry. All of them were staying in a hotel in the locality.
The Odisha team was announced on January 10 while Rajashree couldn’t make it to the final list.
The next day, the players went to a cricket field in the Tangi area for practice, However, Rajashree informed her coach that she was going to Puri to meet her father. As she went missing, the coach filed a complaint with the police.
Her scooter was found abandoned in the forest, which had raised the suspicion of foul play. Besides, her mobile phone was found switched off.
As per the police, Rajashree’s phone got switched off near the forest. Based on her last mobile network location, cops had launched a manhunt. Her body was later recovered hanging from a tree in the dense forest under Gurudijhatia police limits.
SHOCKING NEWS:
Odisha woman cricketer Rajashree Swain was found hanging from a tree in Gurudijhatia forest.
Family members have put allegations against Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) and the coach of the women’s team, Pushpanjali Banerjee.#CricketTwitter Source: OdishaTV pic.twitter.com/TXGgUITuO1
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) January 13, 2023
Rajashree Swain’s Family Blames Coach
Speaking to OTV, Rajashree’s mother said, “She had come to Cuttack for a selection camp. She was staying at Palace Hotel. After the 10-day selection camp, she was intentionally dropped from the final team although she was the best player.
She was under severe stress and had called her sister. She also informed me that she was not included in the team although she was an all-rounder and was one of the best players.”
“My daughter has been missing since then. But, they (the camp organisers) did not inform us anything. When we contacted them they claimed that Rajashree has gone missing,” her mother added.
Rajashree’s sister also claimed that the former was under stress and sad as she was not included in the squad.
“She had called up me at around 9 am. She was crying and told me that she had been excluded from the team although she was one of the best players. I tried to pacify her, but she disconnected the call.
So, I called up my mother and asked her to talk to Rajashree. However, her phone was found switched off since then,” said Rajashree’s sister.
“We contacted all her friends, the organisers and hotel staff, but everyone said that she had not returned to the hotel,” she added.
Similarly, a relative said, “She has been playing cricket since the last 15 years. She has been playing since childhood. She was supposed to be a part of team to play in Pondicherry. However, she later informed us that she was not selected. We suspect she has been intentionally excluded from the final team.”
On the other hand, the FIR copy states that Rajashree Swain had sought permission to go to her home after she was not selected for the team. After getting permission, she left the hotel room on her scooter.
However, Rajashree’s family members claimed that her belongings were still in the hotel.
Meanwhile, Gurudijhatia IIC told, “An investigation is on. We are looking into all angles as to why Rajashree chose this dense forest or is there any other mystery behind her death. She had been missing from January 11. We tracked her based on her phone location.”
“We are also going to interrogate the hotel staff and fellow players and many others to unearth the mystery behind the untimely demise of the young cricketer,” the IIC told.
Rajashree Swain has played 48 matches so far and scored 224 runs at an average of 13.18 and bagged 47 wickets at an economy of 3.29.
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