J&K Sports Minister Assures Fair Probe Into Team Selection For Santosh Trophy

Jammu, Dec 15: Jammu and Kashmir Sports Minister Satish Sharma on Monday assured a time-bound and impartial inquiry into the selection of the Santosh Trophy football team, amid allegations of regional discrimination raised by the BJP.

Taking cognisance of media reports and political criticism, Sharma said a detailed inquiry would be conducted and warned that any violation of merit-based selection norms would invite strict action. “I assure all that any breach of the merit-based policy by anyone will lead to severe consequences and appropriate punitive measures,” the minister said in a social media post.

The assurance came a day after BJP spokesperson Rajni Sethi alleged that players from the Jammu region were unfairly excluded, claiming that all selected players were from Kashmir. She termed the process “illegal and discriminatory” and accused the National Conference government of repeatedly hurting the sentiments of Jammu’s youth, even demanding Sharma’s resignation.

Earlier, the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council had rejected the allegations, maintaining that the selection was transparent and based purely on merit. A council official said the selection process spanned over one-and-a-half months and was conducted in coordination with the All India Football Federation due to the absence of an elected J&K Football Association.

According to the official, 32 players, including eight from Jammu, were shortlisted for a residential coaching camp in Jammu from November 21 to December 12. From this pool, 23 players were selected, including four from the Jammu region, with one player set to join later due to examination commitments.