Dhanraj axed for Malaysian tournament

Top striker Dhanraj Pillay has been dropped from the national squad for a Malaysian tournament in August after refusing to attend a camp because of his fears over security in the troubled Jammu and Kashmir state.

Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) president K P S Gill said on Friday that the player would not be selected for the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament in Kuala Lumpur, which starts on August 2, after refusing to travel to the training camp in Jammu.

"No, he will not be selected," Gill said, adding that the IHF had turned down Pillay's request for a change in venue for the camp, which began on Monday and will run until July 30.

Pillay, a veteran of three Olympics, had told the IHF he faced a threat from a Pakistan-based guerrilla group, Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Local media reports said that police had received information about a threat to the former national captain from the group.

The Lashkar-e-Taiba is one of about a dozen militant groups fighting Indian rule in the disputed Kashmir region. Its members have launched suicide attacks on Indian security camps in Kashmir over the past few months.

Asked whether the 32-year-old striker would never be selected for India duty in the future, Gill said: "We'll see. After Azlan Shah, the Afro-Asian Games is there in November (in New Delhi)."

The IHF secretary K Jothikumaran said Pillay's security fears were unfounded.

"He made a request, but all the boys are put up in police and paramilitary hostels in Jammu town and from the security point of view, there won't be any threat," he said over phone from the southern city of Madras.

Pillay, who made his international debut over a decade ago, led India to gold at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games and played at last year's Sydney Olympics.

The player has been involved in controversy in the past. He was among six prominent players axed for dissidence on the team's triumphant return from Bangkok.

He was also left out of the World Cup qualifying tournament starting in Edinburgh on Tuesday, the IHF citing a knee injury to Pillay and the player claiming he had told officials he had recovered fitness and was available for selection.

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