Kerala CM orders action after handball champion who mortgaged home for India faces bank seizure
Kozhikode: Bijoy George, the national handball champion who overcame death to achieve success on the court, will not have to face defeat in life's biggest battle. Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan has intervened to prevent the bank from seizing his house.
The Chief Minister's Office said it has sought a report from the Sports Minister's Office on the matter. It also assured that necessary steps would be taken to resolve the technical issues delaying Bijoy's appointment under the sports quota.
The Chief Minister intervened after taking note of a Mathrubhumi report published on Monday. Sports Minister OJ Janeesh also told Mathrubhumi that the issues would be resolved.
Bijoy was one of seven Keralites in the 11-member Indian team that competed in the 2024 World University Handball Championship in Spain. In 2024, Bijoy was part of the Mahatma Gandhi University team that won gold at the All India Inter-University Handball Championship held in Kerala.
He had mortgaged his house to meet the expenses of participating in the tournament. The bank later issued a seizure notice on the property. While other members of the team received financial assistance from their respective state governments, Bijoy did not receive any support from the Kerala government.
Participating in the international event cost him more than ₹5 lakh. MG University provided ₹1.5 lakh, while he raised the remaining amount by mortgaging his family home. After he failed to repay the loan, the bank issued a seizure notice last November. He now needs to pay ₹6 lakh to prevent the house from being attached.
Bijoy is eligible for a government job under the sports quota. However, the 2026 recruitment notification considered only sporting achievements earned up to March 2024. Bijoy represented India in national and international competitions only in May and June 2024, leaving him excluded because of a two-month technical cut-off and shattering his dream of securing a government job.
"They will call for sports quota appointments only after another 5 years. I have submitted a representation to the Chief Minister," said Bijoy, a native of Paravur in Ernakulam district, which is also the Chief Minister's constituency.
Bijoy's struggle began in 2015 when the Ernakulam handball team's vehicle met with a fatal accident at Edappal while returning from the State School Sports Meet in Kozhikode. Four of his teammates and his father's elder brother were killed in the crash. Bijoy spent nearly a year undergoing treatment before rebuilding his life and returning to the sport. In November 2024, he served as the coach of the Ernakulam sub-junior team at the State School Sports Meet held in Kochi.