Poverty Pushes A National Level Boxer To Become A Sewage Cleaner

Former national boxer Krishna Rout, who has been working as a temporary sweeper in the Howrah Municipal Corporation for the past 15 years, wants to appeal to the Chief Minister of West Bengal to give him a permanent job of dignity.

Who is Krishna Rout?

43-year-old Krishna Rout was a professional boxer a few years back and won several awards at state and national-level competitions. He won a gold medal in All India Invitational Boxing Championship in 1987 at 15 years of age, and a runner-up trophy in 1992. He was also a runner up in West Bengal’s State Open Lalchand Roy Memorial Boxing Championship in 1985 and won the same championship in 1987. He has also participated in the training sessions organized by the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation.

What does he do for a living?

Rout first worked as a sweeper of the Corporation for five years, and then was given a job of spraying disinfectants in drains in 2005. He runs a family of six with a paltry sum of Rs. 232 a day. With his two children studying and brother suffering from tuberculosis, he has a hard time trying to make ends meet. Rout also trains over 150 underprivileged children for free, some of whom have gone on to play national and state-level championships.

“I gave interviews at several places but was only given false promises with nothing coming through. I didn’t get any job because of my achievement. The government didn’t take care of me,” said Rout to CNN-IBN. However, he is planning to write a letter to the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee soon, seeking a permanent government job of his stature to live a life of dignity.

Images Credit: ANI and PTI