Dhyan Chand deserved Bharat Ratna last year itself: Ex-hockey player Aslam Sher Khan

Former hockey player Aslam Sher Khan has said that Dhyan Chand should have been awarded the Bharat Ratna instead of Sachin last year.

Former hockey player Aslam Sher Khan said, "Indian hockey teams that participated in the Olympics of 1928, 1932 and 1936 laid the basis for identity of Indian hockey".

He said, "The world started calling Dhyan Chand "the wizard of hockey" after the 1936 Olympics. My father Ahmed Sher Khan played with Dhyan Chand in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and won the gold medal".

"When the previous government decided that the Bharat Ratna can be given to sports persons, Major Dhyan Chand should have been the first person to be awarded," he said.

He also said, "Last year, government was in a haste to award Bharat Ratna to Sachin Tendulkar. Awarding Bharat Ratna to Sachin was injustice to those sports persons who came from poor backgrounds and achieved a great deal.

Also read: Dhyan Chand deserves Bharat Ratna: Nana Patekar