Gurbux lodges police complaint

Mihir Vasavda / DNA
Wednesday, July 1,

Mumbai: The Mumbai Hockey Association’s (MHA) affairs are getting murkier by the day after Olympian Gurbux Singh lodged a police complaint on Tuesday, protesting the result. Polling officer SK Sham will be submitting his report on Wednesday.

Gurbux said decision on whether they will take the matter to the court depends on that. “Our counsel told us to lodge a complaint and we did that. The result is shocking. We don’t think he (Kehar Singh) got more than 100 votes, let alone winning,” Gurbux said. Gurbux lost to Kehar by 61 votes after 117 votes were declared
invalid.

Eariler, Parivartan panel’s appeal for re-election was rejected by Sham, who contended that the winner was elected on merit.
The decision has left Gurbux’s panel disillusioned.

They had demanded re-election for the secretary’s post alleging malpractices by Kehar. Whether they will take the case to court remains to be seen. “We will have to assess that option. A clearer picture should emerge on Wednesday,” said one of their panelists.

Kehar rejected the claims of rigging. “How can it be possible? There was police protection. There was a very respected and dependable polling officer along with members from both the panels. These elections are for a sports association, Gurbux should take the result sportingly,” Kehar said.

Kehar believes the committee will work wonders for the sport in the city and that all the hatred in run up to the elections will be wiped out. “All of us will develop a cordial working relationship, there is no doubt about that,” he said.