17-year-old athlete wins national karate gold after house destroyed in Assam flood

The internet signal was intermittent while The Better India contacted Yanmoni Konwar. The girl was preparing to travel to the Sports Authority of India (SAI). The seventeen-year-old karateka climbed to a spot where her phone could catch the network, and her coach, Susanta Das, helped coordinate the call. When Yanmoni appeared on screen, she smiled and said, 'Tomorrow I am going to SAI, so this is a special moment for me.'

This moment was joyful for the teenager who was about to take another step in her sporting career. However, Yanmoni's path to this point was far from easy. Just a few days earlier, she won a gold medal at the National Karate Championship held at the Talkatora Stadium in Delhi from August 7 to 9. Competing in the Ashihara category, Yanmoni traveled from a flooded village in Assam to the national arena and returned with the medal she had been preparing for for years.

When she returned home, the celebration took place against a completely different backdrop. Her family was still living under tarpaulins. Their house in the village of Bhogdipooria in the Jorhat district of Assam state had been washed away during last month's floods. The family's fish farm was also affected, and ducks and poultry were swept away, forcing buffaloes to be moved to a safer location.

For Yanmoni herself, the gold medal did not mark the end of the struggle; it became part of the family's efforts to recover from losing their home and reflected the young athlete's determination to pursue a dream that began at the age of five.

When the waters came

On July 19, floodwaters rushed into the village of Bhogdipooria. The embankment, located about 150 meters from Yanmoni's house, broke, allowing the water to flood the village. The family had to leave their home and move to the embankment.

Their losses extended beyond housing. For almost three years, the family had been engaged in aquaculture. They planned to sell the fish to fund Yanmoni's trip to Delhi for the National Karate Championship. The flood also disrupted this plan.

The family explained that 'the fish farm was linked to her competition,' as it was supposed to help pay for her travel. This was not the first time Yanmoni's family had rebuilt their lives for her sports pursuits; previously, they sold two buffaloes to cover the costs of her karate competitions.

Despite her house being underwater and the family being forced to stay in a relief camp, seventeen-year-old karateka Yanmoni Konwar from Holmora village in Jorhat district insisted on participating.

For families in remote parts of the country, sporting ambitions often come with expenses that are not directly related to training. These include travel to competitions, accommodation, registration fees, and equipment, as well as nutrition. For an athlete, food is also training.

Susanta Das, Yanmoni's coach, points to one of the most serious problems for young athletes in this region. He tells The Better India: 'In these remote places, some families can barely afford three meals a day, so proper nutrition and specialized diets become difficult.'

Yanmoni does not describe a complex diet plan; she states that her food is homemade and free of soft drinks. However, maintaining this routine becomes difficult when the family is forced to leave their residence due to flooding.

A dream that started at five

Yanmoni started practicing karate when she was five years old. The training halls were not air-conditioned, and facilities were limited. Sometimes circumstances forced her to train in places far removed from what most people would imagine for a national-level athlete.

Her coach recalls one quality above all others: consistency. Susanta Das notes: 'She is a diligent girl. I always think of how a lotus blooms in a swamp. It is the same with her.'

There were times when natural disasters and disruptions changed the place and manner of her training. Sometimes, he says, she practiced in the streets. He says, 'If I asked her to train for two or three hours, she did it without stopping. That is her quality.'

Results began to show: in 2023, Yanmoni won a bronze medal, and in 2025, a gold medal. This year, she was preparing for another national championship when the floods came.

The journey to Delhi

The family was forced to leave their home, the house was lost, and the source of planned income for the championship was affected. Railway transport was also disrupted. Getting to Delhi became a huge problem for Yanmoni and her team that needed to be solved.

Help arrived after Alakh Pandey, founder of Physics Wallah, learned about Yanmoni's situation while visiting flood-affected areas of Assam. He supported the team's trip to and from Delhi, arranged accommodation, and provided Yanmoni's family with 3 lakh rupees. State Minister for External Affairs Pabitra Margerita also provided financial assistance of 10,000 rupees.

When the trip finally became possible, Yanmoni traveled to Delhi. From the village where her family had recently been forced to leave their home due to floodwaters, she entered the Talkatora Stadium to participate in the National Karate Championship in the Ashihara category. Then came the long-awaited result—Gold.

This medal symbolized years of training, family sacrifices, and a journey that seemed uncertain shortly before the competition.

Return to the embankment

Yanmoni returned to Assam with the national gold medal. However, her family was still living under tarpaulins after their house was washed away. But Yanmoni does not suggest that the gold medal is the end of her story. The next journey awaits her. Yanmoni continued to smile on screen.

Her father tells her, 'You play for India.' This support means a great deal to Yanmoni. Her father was once a footballer himself. Her parents and brother continue to support her path, even if it required making difficult financial decisions. Selling two buffaloes was one such decision, and the fish farm was another hope. And now, as the family works on recovery after the flood, Yanmoni moves on to the next stage of her sporting life.

"They want to be like me"

Despite the attention that comes with winning nationally, Yanmoni is particularly happy to talk about something else. She also teaches younger children. 'You know, I also teach little kids,' she says, laughing. Most of her students are girls, although boys also train with her. 'They follow me closely. They also love martial arts and always want to imitate me.'

Perhaps this is where Yanmoni's story goes beyond one medal. In a village with limited training facilities, the teenager introduces younger children to the same sport. The girls watching her see not just someone practicing martial arts; they see someone from their community who went to Delhi and returned with a national gold medal.

Now heading to SAI

For a teenager who trained in difficult conditions, this opportunity marks a new chapter. It can give her access to a structured coaching staff and help her take the next steps toward competing at a higher level. There are still many trainings and competitions ahead, as well as younger students at home who are watching.

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www.aajtak.inAugust 21, 19:29

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A brutal murder of a 70-year-old elderly woman has been reported in the elite Jangpura neighborhood of Delhi. The incident occurred in the Pantnagar area, where the woman, named Preeti Kumar, resided. According to reports, the perpetrators broke into the house with the intent to rob and killed the woman.

The murder came to light this morning when Preeti Kumar's daughter visited her mother. The door to the house was unlocked. Upon entering, the daughter discovered her mother in a bloody state in the bedroom. There was disarray in the house, and several items, including jewelry, were missing.

The deceased's daughter stated that a robbery had taken place in the house. After receiving the information, the police arrived at the scene and began an investigation. Currently, the police are examining CCTV footage and continuing a comprehensive review of the case.

The victim's son-in-law, Dipak, reported that Preeti Kumar had lived in this house since approximately 1985. At that time, she had one daughter about one and a half years old and another daughter about two and a half years old. After her husband's death, Preeti raised both daughters independently. She worked diligently to raise the children and arrange their marriages. After her daughters got married, she lived alone in the house.
According to Dipak, the son-in-law, when his daughter arrived home, Preeti Kumar was lying in the bedroom with signs of severe injury. He specified that the woman was strangled, and there were signs of a struggle on her face, while her hands were tied. Relatives described it as an extremely cruel and inhumane killing, emphasizing that jewelry and other items were missing from the house, which raises suspicion of a robbery motive.
It is reported that during the crime, the perpetrators locked the doors of some neighboring houses from the outside before fleeing. Following the revelation of the incident, an atmosphere of fear and shock arose among the residents of the area. The police are investigating who committed the attack and how the criminals managed to enter the house. Surveillance footage in the vicinity is also being examined.

The murder of an elderly woman in a prestigious neighborhood raises questions about the safety of senior citizens. Dipak, the son-in-law, stated that the government needs to take measures to ensure the safety of the elderly. Preeti Kumar spent most of her life in this house; after her husband's death, she raised both daughters alone and arranged their weddings.

After her daughters got married, she lived alone, but now she was murdered in her own home. Following the incident, the police intensified the investigation. Footage from surrounding surveillance cameras is being reviewed. The police are investigating all aspects related to the murder and robbery, and the area is currently in shock. The police are working on the investigation and searching for evidence related to the crime.

www.aajtak.inAugust 8, 05:00

Girl from Muzaffarpur who left home in anger was rescued from a red-light district after 85 days in the hands of human traffickers

A small step taken in anger can sometimes lead to a life in a completely unexpected place. This is what happened to a 12th-grade student from Muzaffarpur. When her brother scolded her at home, she became angry and left. Perhaps she thought she would calm down after some time and return home. However, after leaving the railway station in Muzaffarpur, she met a man who offered her a job.

The girl believed him. This started a journey that lasted 85 days, during which she was moved from one city to another. According to the police, she was first taken to Calcutta and then, presumably, sold to a red-light district. Later, an accusation arose that she was sold again to a red-light district in Bhagalpur. Eventually, a special police team from Muzaffarpur managed to find her.

The incident occurred in the Gaighat area of Muzaffarpur. The police reported that the 12th-grade student left home on May 10 due to a reprimand from her brother. The family actively searched for her, but when her whereabouts became unknown, her brother filed a kidnapping report at the Gaighat police station on May 12.

The police registered the case and began the search. The initial investigation pointed suspicion towards a young man, but subsequent examination showed that his role was not established. Following this, upon the instruction of senior police officers, a special team was formed to search for the girl. According to the information the girl provided to the police after her rescue, she was sitting alone at the Muzaffarpur railway station after leaving home. She was distressed and crying.

At that time, a young man approached her. He talked to her and told her about the possibility of finding a good job in Calcutta. The girl went with him to Calcutta. But the hope for a job, for which she left home, turned into the complete opposite. According to the police, she was sold to a red-light district in Calcutta. When she protested there, she was beaten and forcibly held.

In her statement to the police, she also spoke about the violence she suffered.

According to the police version, after about a month, the girl was transported from Calcutta to a red-light district in Siwanpur, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Ishipur Barahat police station in Bhagalpur. That is, she was moved from one place to another. Meanwhile, the family in Muzaffarpur continued to search for their daughter, and the police tirelessly collected evidence. The girl's photograph was sent to potential locations related to human trafficking.

Informants were activated in various areas, and the police team constantly received information. Then, two days ago, the police received a tip. They learned that the missing girl was in a house in the Siwanpur area of Bhagalpur. After this, the Muzaffarpur police team arrived in Bhagalpur. The team first conducted reconnaissance of the area and identified a suspicious house. A raid was then carried out.

According to the police, the people present there resisted the team. A fight and physical altercation broke out. As the situation began to deteriorate, female investigator Puja Kumari was forced to draw her service pistol. After the conflict, which lasted about 52 minutes, the police team was able to safely bring the girl out. But the story did not end there. During the rescue operation in the same house, another girl from the Nalanda district was found, who also sought help from the police. The police safely released both of them and reported it to the Nalanda police. Both girls were brought to Muzaffarpur.

According to the Muzaffarpur police, the girl gave testimony in court. She expressed a desire to live with her older sister. After this, the police began the process of transferring her to her relatives.

According to DSP East-1 Alaya Watsa, the police have been searching for the girl since her disappearance. Based on the information received, she was safely found in Siwanpur, Bhagalpur. During this operation, another girl from Nalanda was also freed. Currently, the police investigation goes beyond simply locating the girl; it is also determining who was involved in the entire network, who took her from Muzaffarpur to Calcutta, who handed her over there, and who played a role in her transport to Bhagalpur.