India’s top pole vaulters, Dev Meena and Kuldeep Yadav, have alleged that they were forced off a train at Panvel railway station after a Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) refused to allow them to carry their pole vault equipment, calling it “unauthorised luggage”.

The athletes said that the equipment, nearly five metres long and worth several lakhs of rupees, is essential for training and competition. They claimed that despite explaining its importance and offering to pay any required charges or speak to senior railway officials, they were asked to disembark and were left stranded for several hours, causing them to miss a connecting train.