The internal turmoil within Hockey India escalates as President Dilip Tirkey presses for answers and documents concerning the controversial jersey colour change and unaddressed harassment complaints, prompting calls for an emergency board meeting.
Key Points
- Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey is demanding documentary evidence from DG RK Srivastava regarding the controversial jersey colour change.
- Srivastava failed to meet the deadline for submitting the requested documents, escalating the internal dispute within the national sports body.
- Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh has called for an emergency Executive Board meeting to address the multiple governance issues raised.
- The controversy also involves unaddressed complaints of harassment and misconduct against a highly placed HI official, with Tirkey seeking inquiry reports.
- Former India captains have publicly objected to the jersey change, citing a disregard for the team's traditional identity and lack of consultation.
The controversy within Hockey India over the change in the Indian teams' jersey colour intensified on Tuesday after Director General Commander RK Srivastava failed to meet president Dilip Tirkey's deadline to submit documents explaining the decision, while secretary general Bhola Nath Singh sought an emergency meeting of the Executive Board.
In a strongly worded email sent to Srivastava for the second consecutive day, Tirkey directed him to furnish all supporting documents by 5 pm, asserting that his earlier directive had not been withdrawn despite a clarification submitted by the Executive Director to the Executive Board.
Escalating Demands and Missed Deadlines
"With reference to the explaination submitted by the Cdr (Srivastava) to the Executive Board in this matter, it is clarified that the directive to respond with documentary evidence remains in effect and has not been withdrawn," Tirkey said in the email.
"In view of the detailed explaination already provided to the Executive Board, it is now necessary that the same be substantiated with all relevaSnt documentary proof. Accordingly Cdr is required to submit the complete supporting documents by 5PM today," he added.
However, sources told PTI that no reply was received from Srivastava by the deadline.
"Commander Srivastava did not provide any clarification to the Hockey India president by the deadline of 5 pm," a source said.
The source added that shortly after the deadline, Hockey India secretary general Bhola Nath Singh wrote to Tirkey requesting that an emergency meeting of the Executive Board be convened.
"For the last many days, emails from your side have raised many different issues, it is therefore requested that all issues maybe compiled and the same maybe put before the EB for its disposal. Please call for an emergent EB board meeting at the earliest," the source said quoting Bhola Nath's email addressed to the president and copied to EB members.
The Core Jersey Colour Dispute
On Monday Tirkey sent a strongly worded email to HI DG Srivastava, seeking detailed clarification on the process, which eventually triggered widespread criticism.The latest email was Tirkey's second communication in less than a week seeking answers over the decision-making process.
In his previous email, Tirkey had said that HI was not consulted before the change was finalised.
The issue has snowballed into a major controversy ahead of the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup, beginning on August 15 in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Former India captains Viren Rasquinha, Ajit Pal Singh, Dhanraj Pillay and Pargat Singh have publicly objected to the change, saying the team's traditional identity should not have been altered without wider consultation.
HI has defended the move, saying the colour change was necessitated by visibility concerns while playing on blue turf. Tirkey, however, has maintained that the decision was taken without the knowledge or approval of either the president or the Executive Board.
Unaddressed Harassment Allegations Surface
The jersey issue is not the only matter on which Tirkey has sought answers from the DG.
In another email on Monday, Tirkey asked for the complete inquiry report related to complaints of harassment and misconduct against a highly placed HI official.
He sought the complete record of the Interim Complaints Committee's composition and constitution, credentials ad eligibility of ICC members, official notification constituting the committee, evidence of compliance and statutory requirements under the POSH Act along with signed minutes of ICC proceedings maintained by the committee.
According to sources, the requested documents were also not furnished despite three reminders sent until Monday.
The allegations stem from anonymous complaints received in April against the official. Over the following weeks, several women involved in the Indian Hockey ecosystem reportedly corroborated the allegations.
In May, Tirkey had written to the Executive Board expressing concern over the growing number of harassment complaints within Indian hockey.
Although discussions were held in June on constituting a committee to investigate the matter, sources said no such committee has been formed so far.
