LUCKNOW: After over four years of hardship and uncertainties, Mohd Saif, son of hockey legend and Olympian Padma Shri late Mohd Shahid, had a reason to rejoice. Saif finally had in his hand the joining letter for a job that he had to leave in 2017.
His mother, Parveen Shahid, had been running from pillar to post for the restoration of her son’s job in the Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) in Varanasi, which he lost after he went on a long medical leave following alleged harassment at the hands of a senior officer.
TOI highlighted the issue in its front page report titled ‘Hockey legend Shahid’s son struggles to get back Rlys job’ in the August 9 edition. BLW officials had then told TOI that Saif’s application was being considered sympathetically even as they blamed him for not lodging a complaint of harassment and leaving the job abruptly.
Thanking TOI and BLW officials for their support, Saif said, “I am happy to get back my job. Before joining, I am required to undergo a three-year training. As I had joined the training for six months in 2017, that period has been adjusted.”
Saif was given a job in BLW on February 3, 2017, on compassionate grounds following the death of Mohd Shahid, who was a sports officer (class 1) with the Railways in Varanasi.
During his training, he was allegedly harassed by an official following which he discontinued the training and applied for medical leave. Finally, he was removed from the post on February 19, 2019. Saif later requested for his restoration but his application was pending since then.
Mohd Shahid had played a crucial role in the historic Olympic win that fetched India a gold in 1980.
Saif himself is a national level shooter and participated in seniors event in Bhopal in 2019.
