A viral video from Dehradun shows Class 12 taekwondo player Shayra telling Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami she missed an international event in Romania after being asked to pay Rs 1.5 lakh. Her emotional plea and Dhami’s “sit down” response triggered a political storm, with Congress alleging corruption and censorship, while netizens fiercely debating funding, bribery and damage control.
A VIDEO CLIP of a Class 12 student telling Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami about missing an international taekwondo competition after being asked for Rs 1.5 lakh is going viral on the internet. The 17-year-old girl, named Shayra, raised her concern in front of the Chief Minister during the Mukhyamantri Yuva Vidyarthi Manthan programme in Dehradun on August 10, 2026. Shayra is a student at CNI Girls’ School in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
The now-viral video has sparked a political row following allegations of bribery and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s reaction after hearing the student’s emotional account. In the video, the girl became emotional as she shared that she had won a gold medal in taekwondo at the national level and had received an opportunity to compete at the international level.
She won the national-level competition held in Jammu and Kashmir and was selected to participate in the next round, which was scheduled to be held in Romania, Europe.
“I was selected for the international competition, but I was asked to pay Rs 1.5 lakh, because of which I couldn’t go,” Shayra said. She was seen breaking down after sharing her grievances, following which Dhami appeared to comfort her and said, "Chalo, chalo beta, abhi baith jao (Come on, come on, child, sit down for now.)
The video has sparked a debate among social media users, with many calling Pushkar Singh Dhami’s response “shocking.” The Congress took to X to praise the girl for her bravery and further criticised the BJP government, writing, “In the BJP government, bribery and embezzlement are crushing the dreams of the youth. And when complaints are made, the Chief Minister himself is busy suppressing this corruption.”
The party also alleged that the live broadcast of the programme was deleted from the social media platforms of both the Chief Minister and the Prime Minister.
The Class 12 student later issued a clarification video in which she claimed that during the programme she attended on August 10, 2026, along with other students from her school, she had not shared the entire story. She said that the organisation involved in the event had agreed to cover Rs 1.70 lakh, while she had to cover the remaining amount.
Shayra further said that she had not revealed this information to her school or anyone else and was unable to arrange the money, which resulted in her missing the opportunity to travel to Romania.
Her statement did not claim that the previously mentioned Rs 1.5 lakh was asked from her as a bribe, nor did it clarify whether any government official was involved.
Several netizens have called Shayra’s clarification video a “forced confession.” One X user alleged, “Gajab ki lipa-poti / damage control mein poora media laga hua rehta hai (This is unbelievable damage control / the entire media is busy with damage control.)”
While some users expressed concern that the incomplete story was being weaponised, others criticised CM Dhami’s response after hearing the girl’s account. “Corruption on full display… and all you got was ‘sit down,’” wrote another user on X.
One user wrote, “This is not corruption, sir. This is a half-told story by the girl. The federation was bearing Rs 1.7 lakh, and the players were supposed to bear the rest of the amount. The federation isn’t a government body, and neither does taekwondo get any support from the government.”
Several users on Instagram joked about Dhami’s response, with one writing, “Woh bol raha, usmein se 1 lakh mera hi tha (He was saying, ‘I had a share of Rs 1 lakh in that.)” Another wrote, “Beta, yahan aisa hi hota, sorry for your loss. Aur hum umeed bhi nahi kar rahe ab ki ye sab kabhi theek hoga (Child, this is how things work here. Sorry for your loss. And we don’t even expect any of this to ever get better now.)”
(Edited by Harsh Pandey)
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