After their triumphant performance at the Asian Championship, India’s archery team found themselves in dire straits in Dhaka. A sudden flight cancellation, fueled by escalating unrest in the city, left them stranded in an inadequate shelter for the night, void of security. The turmoil resulted in missed flights and unexpected expenses, casting a shadow over their exceptional victory.

NEW DELHI: Indian archers returning from their best-ever Asian Championships campaign were thrust into a night of fear and chaos in Dhaka after their flight to Delhi was cancelled, leaving them stranded without security in a city gripped by street violence. Forced to spend the night in what they described as a “substandard shelter” miles away from the airport, several team members — including two minors — endured nearly 10 gruelling hours with no support or clarity from the airline.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The 11-member group, which included seniors Abhishek Verma, Jyoti Surekha and Olympian Dhiraj Bommadevara, had boarded their 9.30 pm flight on Saturday when they were told the aircraft had developed a technical snag. At the time, Dhaka was on edge, awaiting a special tribunal verdict against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, triggering widespread unrest.With announcements delayed until 2 am, the cancellation left the Indian contingent helpless. What followed was worse.They were bundled into a “window-less local bus” and taken nearly 30 minutes away to what Verma described as a “dharamshala-like makeshift lodge” — not a hotel.“The place was very pathetic. In one room there were six double beds for the women. There was only one toilet and the condition was very bad,” Verma told PTI. “It was such that I don’t think anyone could have taken a bath there.”

Attempts to shift to a safer place failed as their international cards didn’t work, and ride apps like Uber rejected payments. “We couldn’t manage anything… And we were not confirmed about the flight,” Verma said. “If they had told us we’d leave by 11 am, we would have stayed at the airport.”The next morning, the group returned to the airport at 7 am, but the ordeal rippled into India: several archers missed onward connections to Hyderabad and Vijayawada, forcing expensive rebookings and long road journeys. “One Mumbai–Delhi ticket cost more than Rs 20,000. The Federation had to bear lakhs of rupees,” Verma said.He criticised the airline for its handling of the crisis, adding, “Your plane broke down, and you know riots are happening outside. How did they put us in local transport? If something had happened — who would have been responsible?”The harrowing journey overshadowed India’s historic performance in Dhaka, where they topped the medals table with 10 podium finishes, including six golds, ahead of powerhouse South Korea.