It was a shocking spectacle to see our sports minister MS Gill physically push out Satpal Singh, a wrestling icon, coach and mentor of Sushil Kumar who he was trying to honour for winning the first ever world championship gold in Moscow by posing with him for photographs.  He did no better by asking around for Kumar’s other coach who had accompanied him to Moscow, Yashvir, from whose hands he had tried to snatch away Sushil Kumar’s medal a little while earlier.

Two years ago, he behaved equally scandalously while felicitating Saina Nehwal after her good performance in Beijing Olympics by asking her coach and All England champion Pullela Gopichand loudly, “Who are you?” Gopichand had the ignominy of having to introduce himself.

For the record, Satpal won many wrestling laurels for the country for which he was honoured with Padma Shri, Dronacharya and Arjuna awards. Gill not only rudely behaved with him, he pulled away Sushil Kumar to another part of his lawn to pose for the photographs.

It is not only a question of social grace, which surely Gill lacks; it is unthinkable for a sports minister not to even recognize our sporting icons or value the coach. What good such an ignorant minister can do to promote and administer sports is highly debatable but the least that is expected of him is to show some remorse at his shameful behaviour and apologize to the coach. Will he do at least that?