Sprint queen PT Usha who has been at the centre of a controversy regarding athlete PU Chithra's exclusion from the World Athletic Meet has said that she won't cooperate with the visual media anymore.
Usha reportedly said in a statement that her decision to boycott the visual media was prompted by the deterioration of values, character assassination beyond all limits and baseless reports.
“It felt like harassment to a common Malayali like me," she said in her statement.
"The unbearable harassment by the visual media is beyond the capacity to bear for the woman in me, who becomes happy or sad easily over small things," she said.
“I want to lead a peaceful life with my family. Hence I won’t cooperate with the visual media from today onwards protesting against the unbearable harassment. I am helpless on the issue. Please pardon me," she further said.
Her decision comes on the back of media reports which hinted at her having a role in Chithra not finding a place in the Indian team despite bagging gold at the Asian Athletics Championship held in Bhubaneshwar in July.
The 22-year-old athlete had bagged gold in the 1500-metre event which should have ensured her a direct qualification for the World Athletic Championships in London.
On Thursday, reports surfaced on Athletics Federation of India (AFI) selection committee chairman Gurbachan Singh Randhawa's clarification that Usha, who is also in the committee, had agreed to keep Chithra out from the final list. This has triggered a row Usha being criticised for not taking a stand in favour of Chithra.
It is being insinuated that Usha's lackadaisical attitude towards Chithra was due to the fact that the athlete is not from Usha School of Athletics, where she has been training and mentoring scores of other athletes.