Table Tennis
Manika Batra loses baggage on KLM flight, seeks intervention of civil aviation minister
Manika Batra, ranked 35th, complained of losing her "priority tagged baggage" on a business class flight. Batra was flying back to India on a connecting flight from Amsterdam.
Manika Batra. (File photo)
India's top table tennis player Manika Batra, ranked 35th in the world, faced an unusual situation on Tuesday, as she complained of losing her "priority tagged baggage" on a business class flight on her way back to Delhi from Amsterdam.
Batra, who was travelling on a KLM flight, sought intervention from Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia to find her lost baggage, which included an "essential sports kit for an upcoming tournament".
The 28-year-old former Commonwealth Games gold medallist was returning home after playing WTT Contender Lima 2023 in Peru, where she lost her women's singles Round of 32 match against world no. 14 Miu Hirano of Japan 1-3, 11-7, 10-12, 6-11, 9-11.
In the mixed doubles, too, pairing up with G. Sathiyan, Batra lost to Sweden's Christina Kallberg and Kristian Karlsson in the opening round.
Batra was returning to Delhi from Amsterdam on August 8 on a connecting flight as she landed in the Netherlands capital from Lima the day before.
The Indian paddler discovered the status of her baggage after landing at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Tuesday morning.
"Unbelievable disappointment with @KLM! Priority-tagged baggage lost on a business class flight, including my essential sports kit for an upcoming tournament.Staff at the airport had no answers or any solutions & they had no idea where my bag is. @JM_Scindia sir pls help🙏 -contd...," Batra wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
