J.B. Roy led hockey faction flexes its muscles

Mumbai, June 15 (IANS) Around 25 men’s and 22 women’s state hockey units have met at Aamby Valley in a bid to form a “unified and democratic” national federation, according to the Bengal Hockey Association (BHA) that organised the conclave.

The development came a day after the K.P.S Gill led Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) joined hands with newly-formed Hockey India and claimed support of 22 states and 3 union Terroritories to initiate the process of merging the men’s and women’s units within the six-month deadline set by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).

The other faction, led by BHA president J.B.Roy and disaffiliated Indian Women’s Hockey Federation (IWHF) secretary Amrit Bose, convened a separate meeting at Aamby Valley June 13-14 after falling out with Gill over disgraced former IHF secretary K. Jothikumaran’s involvement with Hockey India.

“The meeting organized at Aamby Valley was attended by 25 men’s and 22 women’s associations which constitute over 2/3 of the entire associations and it looked as if the unified hockey’s democratic face was embodied in the gathering,” Roy and Bose said in a statement Monday.

“Various issues pertaining to the sport were discussed and unanimous resolutions were passed in the meeting.”

Roy and Bose were given the authority to hold talks with FIH, the Asian Hockey Federation and Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and to take “suitable steps including forming or merging of the new society and even court intervention, if necessary”, the statement added.

The alliance has received an invitation from IOA president Suresh Kalmadi to discuss the current situation.

“The house decided to merge the state level men’s and women’s hockey associations in the shortest possible time. This move will effectively achieve the whole objective of the FIH of unifying the state level hockey units in democratic manner, a feat that could not be achieved for the past eight years,” the statement said.