New Delhi: When Uma Chetry, the younger wicketkeeper-batter from Assam, stepped off her flight in Guwahati, she carried a World Cup medal and the satisfaction of a complete area. The 24-year-old had simply turn into the primary girl from the state to play within the ICC Girls’s World Cup, returning residence as a champion with Group India. However her homecoming quickly grew to become the middle of a heated debate.
On the evening she landed within the state, no authorities officers have been allegedly current on the airport to welcome her. All Assam Gorkha College students’ Union claimed it was its members and some followers who acquired her with garlands and the normal Assamese. gamosa (conventional hand-woven scarf).
“Uma has created historical past. She deserved a grand welcome. All of us noticed how Richa Ghosh was honored when she landed (in Kolkata, West Bengal). If our members had not come, not a single particular person would have been there for her to welcome,” alleged Sushil Chetri, president of the All Assam Gorkha College students’ Union.
‘She Made Assam Proud, However The place Was The State?’
The union expressed anger earlier than the media, saying no official from the state was current to honor Uma’s achievement. “Her flight landed at 10:15 pm. She is the primary girl from Assam and your complete Northeast to return as a world champion in cricket. However nobody from the federal government confirmed up,” he stated.
He added two members of the ACA organized a automobile for Uma, and she or he quietly left for her village in Bokakhat the identical evening.
Political Voices Be a part of The Debate
The Opposition seized on the controversy. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi criticized the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering (BJP)-led state authorities for failing to prepare an official reception.
“Uma comes from a humble household in Bokakhat, however she has taken Assam and the Northeast to the worldwide stage. I used to be moved by how Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur praised her work. It was painful to see no occasion for her when she landed after successful the World Cup,” he wrote on X.
Gogoi stated the BCCI secretary and the Assam Cricket Affiliation (ACA) president ought to have personally welcomed him. “As an alternative of celebrating our girls athletes, the chief minister (Himanta Biswa Sarma) was busy making infantile remarks in Jharkhand,” he added.
Union Minister and former Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal weighed in. “We respect each athlete and take satisfaction in them. The federal government will guarantee Uma will get the popularity she deserves,” he stated.
Uma, coming from a easy household in Bokakhat, you might have taken Assam and the Northeast to the nationwide and international stage in sports activities. I’ve seen how Smriti Mandhana has praised your work ethic and the way in which Harmanpreet has appreciated you.
Yesterday my coronary heart was actually saddened to see… — Gaurav Gogoi (@GauravGogoiAsm) November 7, 2025
BCCI, ACA Reply
Amid the criticism, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia on Saturday addressed the controversy, claiming that there was confusion with regard to her arrival due to packed post-victory schedule.
He defined that after India’s ICC Girls’s World Cup win on November 2, gamers have been anticipated to return residence inside two days. “Even Uma was unsure about her journey schedule, which was solely confirmed after the assembly with the President on November 6,” he instructed reporters in Guwahati.
He stated it was unfair guilty anybody for the confusion since “the BCCI made last-minute selections concerning the gamers’ journey”.
Citing the state’s mourning over singer Zubeen Garg’s dying, Saikia stated, “Holding grand celebrations would have been inappropriate. After I was re-elected because the BCCI secretary on September 28, I urged everybody to chorus from celebrations. We weren’t in a celebratory temper.”
He added ACA officers have been current on the airport to obtain Uma, together with apex council member Mukuta Nanda Bhattacharjya, chairperson Rajdeep Oja and ACA CEO Pritam Mahanta.
“The affiliation’s obligation is to not collect crowds however to prepare tournaments and enhance infrastructure, which they’re doing successfully,” he stated, highlighting that many gamers have been presently busy with home competitions.
He appealed to all sides to maintain Uma’s achievement above politics. “She is a younger expertise who has introduced us satisfaction. Please don’t contain her in politics for private agendas,” he stated.
The ACA additionally voiced the identical. “The details about her arrival was not shared with us prematurely, which is why no preparations have been made on the airport,” stated ACA President Taranga Gogoi.
Calm And Composed Uma Speaks
When journalists requested Uma concerning the controversy, she responded, “I didn’t really feel unhealthy in any respect. The ACA individuals got here to obtain me. The chief minister known as me personally. Possibly he was busy with some essential work.”
For her, the second was nonetheless magical. “Profitable a World Cup is each participant’s dream. Coming from the Northeast and being a part of this victory makes it much more particular. I’ll carry this second with me perpetually,” she stated.
She recalled her journey from floods and wrestle to the highest of world cricket. “There have been many challenges at first. However my mother and father, coach and mates all the time supported me. I discovered by no means to lose coronary heart. With self-discipline and apply, any problem might be confronted,” she added.
From Flooded Fields To The World Stage
Uma’s coach, Mehboob Alam, remembered her early days. “Her household’s monetary situation was weak, so we by no means charged her a charge. From the primary day, I knew she would go far. She by no means obtained drained. Even after coaching, she stayed on the sector,” he stated.
In regards to the welcome row, he added, “Each coach desires of seeing their pupil attain the sky. Uma has achieved that. She deserves full honor. It will have been stunning to see her drive residence in a flower-decorated automobile.”
Celebration Lastly Arrives
As Assam ready to make amendments, the state’s Sports activities and Youth Welfare Minister Nandita Gorlosa met Uma and introduced her with a particular felicitation.
The Chief Minister’s Workplace later posted on
Hon’ble Minister of Sports activities & Youth Welfare Smt. @GorlosaNandita Felicitated Assam’s rising cricket star Uma Chetry for her excellent achievements and contribution to Indian girls’s cricket.
Her success continues to encourage numerous younger athletes throughout the state to dream… pic.twitter.com/MSNzUNYdEj— Chief Minister Assam (@CMOfficeAssam) November 7, 2025
In Bokakhat, Uma’s village was embellished with lights and banners. A whole lot gathered to have a good time her return. For them, she is not only a cricketer. She is a narrative of hope that rose from a floodplain to the world stage.