KOCHI, April 16: The First All India Police Badminton and Table Tennis Cluster 2025, hosted by the Kerala Police, concluded successfully at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Kadavanthra, Kochi. Inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on April 11, the prestigious event brought together 1,033 athletes from 43 teams across the country, including state and union territory police forces as well as central armed police organizations such as the BSF, CRPF, CISF, Assam Rifles, IB, ITBP, NDRF, NSG, CGO, RPF, and SSB.
This year marked a historic milestone as badminton and table tennis were conducted as a combined cluster for the first time in All India Police Games history. The competition featured events in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles for both men and women, with 825 men and 208 women athletes participating.
Representing Arunachal Pradesh Police, a 7-member contingent participated with commendable performances. Shri Dekio Gumja, APPS, clinched a bronze medal in the Men’s Singles (General Open) category. Additionally, SI Tajit Yangfo and ASI Monya Riba secured another bronze medal in the Men’s Doubles (50+) category, bringing pride to the state.
Among the highlights, Team Mizoram Police emerged as the overall champion, bagging the highest number of gold medals.
In its Press statement, Arunachal Police Contingents asserted that, the event also underscored a significant policy gap in the recruitment of sportspersons within the Arunachal Pradesh Police. While most state and central police forces have well-defined, discipline-specific recruitment policies—covering sports such as badminton, table tennis, volleyball, judo, boxing, football, athletics, and karate—Arunachal Pradesh Police currently follow a generalized sports quota system. This approach has resulted in limited representation across various disciplines, particularly in badminton and table tennis, where no specialized players have been recruited so far.
In light of the promising performance by a small contingent, there is an urgent need to reformulate the sports recruitment policy of Arunachal Pradesh Police. A discipline-specific recruitment framework would enable the force to nurture talent across a broader range of sports and enhance its competitive edge at national-level events like the All India Police Games.
