Manika Batra loses baggage on flight while returning from Peru tournament

Seeking help of Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Batra said she was travelling in business class on the Dutch flag carrier and never expected to lose baggage with a priority tag.

FILE PHOTO: Manika Batra of India competing at WTT Champions Xinxiang 2023. | Photo Credit: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

Ace Indian table tennis player Manika Batra lost her baggage containing sports equipment while returning home from a tournament in Peru on a KLM Airlines flight. She has sought help from the government to recover it.

Seeking help of Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, world number 35 Batra said she was travelling in business class on the Dutch flag carrier and never expected to lose baggage with a priority tag.

READ: How Goa turned the tables on defending champion Chennai to lift maiden UTT title

“Unbelievable disappointment with @KLM.! Priority-tagged baggage lost on a business class flight, including my essential sports kit for an upcoming tournament,” Batra tweeted through her official handle. She was coming back to India (August 6-7 flight) after playing in a WTT Contender tournament in Lima via Amsterdam.

Unbelievable disappointment with @KLM! Priority-tagged baggage lost on a business class flight, including my essential sports kit for an upcoming tournament.Staff at the airport had no answers or any solutions & they had no idea where my bag is.@JM_Scindia sir pls help🙏
-contd.. pic.twitter.com/JsZSmKCSt5

— Manika Batra (@manikabatra_TT) August 8, 2023

In the tournament, the 28-year-old Batra reached the round of 32 before losing to Japan’s world number 14 Miu Hirano 11-3, 11-7, 10-12, 6-11, 9-11.

She is one of India’s brightest medal hopes in the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

Batra and the experienced G. Sathiyan are ranked seventh in mixed doubles, and the pair is expected to lead India’s charge at the Asiad between September 23–October 8.