'Took away everything I earned in life': Padma Shri awardee Bula Chowdhury's medals stolen from ancestral home in West Bengal

NEW DELHI: Former swimmer and Padma Shri awardee Bula Chowdhury has alleged that thieves stole her medals and mementos from her ancestral home in West Bengal’s Hooghly district. Chowdhury, a six-time gold medallist at the South Asian Federation (SAF) Games, said the theft had robbed her of “everything” she had earned in her sporting career. “Thieves have taken away everything I earned in my entire life through my hard work and dedication. All medals, including the six gold medals I won at the SAF Games and the Padma Shri brooch, have been stolen,” she told news agency PTI.

The 54-year-old said the intruders also took away several mementos but left behind the Arjuna Award and the Tenzing Norgay Award medals. “Probably they did not recognise them, as they were smaller in size,” she said. Police said Chowdhury’s brother discovered the theft on Independence Day when he visited the house in Hindmotor and found the back gate broken and the rooms ransacked. This is the third such incident reported at the property, which remains locked as Chowdhury now lives in Kolkata’s Kasba area. “Why are they taking medals? They won’t get any money for them. They are treasures of my life, the fruits of my career. My house is targeted every time because it stays empty,” Chowdhury said.