Chhattisgarh authorities are hosting a drinking party in the woods as they wait to transport female players back home after a tournament.

More controversy surrounds the “Chhattisgarhiya Olympics” in RAIPUR. On Friday night, two panchayat secretaries, whose job it was to safely escort girl participants back to their villages, stopped in a forest in the Jashpur district to clinch glasses. They got drunk while the children, some of whom were minors, waited anxiously nearby. Elephants often assault people in this area. Luckily, several of the locals saw them and intervened to keep the girls safe. They photographed the scene and sent the images to authorities. The collector informed TOI that he had directed the two panchayat officials to be suspended. Already mired in controversy, the “Chhattisgarhiya Olympics” have moved on to the district level after three kabaddi players were killed in block-level tournaments in the districts of Kondagaon, Raigarh, and Jashpur. Athletes are picked up from their villages in government vans by panchayat and education department officials, who return them home after a day of competition. On Friday, two panchayat secretaries were designated as the point people in charge of returning five young women to their families. The two authorities abruptly pulled over the SUV full of female athletes in the woods of Bhairav Pahad, a region known for the Sogda Ashram and frequented by politicians and other notable figures. It is around 475 kilometers (km) from Raipur and borders Jharkhand. Authorities said the men fed the girls food and instructed them to wait while they drank alcohol. The villagers and ashramites saw the car parked there for a long period with a group of young women loitering about it. They went to see if anybody needed assistance and were shocked to see two guys in the midst of the forest enjoying a booze party while the girls waited anxiously. The girls were taken in by the villagers, while the two officials were sent to a neighbouring hamlet. Jaspur collector Ravi Mittal said TOI, “I have received information of this.” They were detained for some time while people contacted the district government. The girls’ security has been compromised. Mittal said that the district phase of the Chhattisgarhiya Olympics would be place over the course of three days, and that 2,500 competitors across a variety of age categories are competing in the competition. According to him, this occurrence is a breach of protocol since nodal officers have been designated to ensure the safety of female athletes during transportation.