Upset parents create chaos at talent hunt event

New Delhi, Feb 18 (IANS) The finale of a kids talent hunt event turned chaotic Wednesday after disappointed parents of children who failed to win prizes got into a heated argument with the organisers.

Children and their parents came in large numbers for 'India's Little Prince and Princess', an annual event organised by Gurgaon-based NGO DiyaDeep. It was held at the Indian Air Force auditorium here.

But chaos erupted after the results were announced. Parents challenged the organisers over the results after the prize distribution ceremony, which was attended by Bollywood actor Jimmy Shergill.

'We had this event last year as well but things were fine. This time parents started questioning us as to why their child did not receive the award. There were families of about 300 kids. When all of them started arguing, things went out of hand and I had to call the police,' Yashi Shukla, DiyaDeep spokesperson, told IANS.

The winners got a scholarship, which will take care of their school fees for three years.

Kids from across the country participated in the show. Those selected had been trained for 20 days in their respective area of talent.

According to Shukla, a possible reason why parents turned angry was because they had travelled to Delhi on their own expense from places as far away as Jharkhand.

'Last year we selected kids only from areas close to Delhi like Agra and Jaipur but this time we thought of extending the programme to other areas. It is possible that the parents who reacted negatively were the ones who came from far off areas at their own expense and were upset because their children did not win,' said Shukla.