Protest at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium
“A lot of things are going wrong in Hockey India and hockey is suffering because of it,” Batlaw said. He also called for HI to be placed under an ad-hoc committee and for fresh elections to be conducted, with greater representation for former players in the administration.
Subodh had presented a balance sheet to Tirkey four days ago and wanted it to be signed immediately, according to sources.
Batlaw said the demonstration was aimed at drawing attention to governance issues within the federation. Tirkey, however, insisted on examining the document in greater detail before approving it. Tirkey had also issued a show-cause notice to Srivastava, directing him to immediately cease discharging the functions of the post and seek an explanation over alleged administrative irregularities, including decisions taken within the federation, such as the change in the colour of the national teams’ jerseys. He alleged that former players and Olympians were concerned about the direction in which the sport was headed and demanded greater accountability from HI’s leadership.
Earlier this month, Tirkey had objected to an executive board meeting convened by secretary general Bholanath Singh.