Outcry over Manipur girl’s unceremonious ouster

A heartbroken finalist of the singing competition Sa Re Ga Ma Pa has levelled serious allegations against the organisers for dropping her and three other contestants from the mega audition event without rhyme or reason.

During a Press conference held in Bramapur Aribam Leikei in Imphal, Takhelambam Mandakini, one of the 15 finalists selected, condemned the organisers of Zee TV’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa for discrimination on Saturday. Mandakini’s brother Bijesh too briefed the media about the alleged ill-treatment meted out to the four finalists including a differently-abled one. Mandakini and three other finalists were ousted from the finale on October 10.

The brother-sister duo demanded an explanation from the organisers for their alleged inexplicable decision and asked Zee TV to take them back for the finale. Giving vent to his frustration over the ‘unjustified’ removal of Mandakini from the mega event, a poignant Bijesh said his family had high hopes from Mandakini. He said the news of his sister’s ouster from the mega event came as a shock to his family.

Going into details on the rigmarole procedure at the singing contest, Bijesh said that Mandakini had gone through the grind to clear the North eastern zone scrutiny, and then zonal level competition to enter the mega audition. She was the first woman to be selected for the mega audition, which had several talented competitors from across the country and abroad, said Mandakini’s  brother.

Bijesh said the judges had selected her among the 15 mega finalists for the final event of the mega audition. They were being given training at Mumbai. After a few days, nine more participants were listed for the mega audition event. Raising suspicion over the inclusion of new members for the finale, Bijesh said the nine new participants were  eliminated in earlier rounds.

The brother-sister duo alleged that at the eleventh hour, four finalists, including Mandakini and another differently-abled participant, were ‘arbitrarily’ dropped from the list and were not allowed to perform before the judges.

Despite all the humiliation at the hands of the organisers, an intrepid Mandakini said she would try and return to the finale through a wild-card  route. “ I can defeat all the contestants,” she said confidently.

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