IOA Vice-President Files Complaint Against Narinder Batra To FIH

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) vice-president Sudhanshu Mittal has filed a complaint against the body's president Narinder Batra to the Disciplinary Commissioner of International Hockey Federation (FIH) over the "illegal" appointment of Batra as FIH president. "I bring to your kind attention the gross violations that had happened during the election of Hockey India in 2014 and the Indian Olympic Association in 2017, which needs to be probed by the highest authorities. The president of the Indian Olympic Association, Narinder Dhruv Batra, was not eligible to contest for that election and there has been a major cover-up," Mittal said in a mail to FIH Disciplinary Commander, Gordon Nurse, on June 6.

"His eligibility was falsified two times, one of which impacts Batra's position as President of the International Hockey Federation in 2017," he added.

Mittal said that Batra's International Olympic Committee (IOC) membership is ''false''.

"It has to be exposed that the IOC membership of Batra is false because the IOC membership is the credential used by him to showcase his grandeur of a sincere sports administrator, which he is not. Batra is not granted membership of the International Olympic Committee in his individual capacity, but that honour is given as a representative of the Indian Olympic Association. It is the representation of the National Olympic Committee. His election to the leadership or as president of the Indian Olympic Association is already proven false. So, his claim of IOC membership is baseless," Mittal said.

Mittal also said that Batra amended the "statutes of the International Hockey Federation to correct his lie." He urged Nurse to refrain Batra from discharging his duties of FIH president.

"I request you to please consider my complaint on its merits. My plea is to refrain Narinder Dhruv Batra from discharging the dues of the president of the International Hockey Federation, with immediate effect, pending enquiry of the disciplinary commission. Thereafter, please ban him from the sport of hockey and take appropriate disciplinary actions, as you deem fit," he said.

"I am not the first person in India to protest against Batra. Athletes and officials who dared to utter a word against Batra were silenced and removed from hockey. Indian hockey does not need Batra. But Batra needs Hockey India to fulfill his hunger for power, control and money," Mittal added.

Moreover, Mittal wrote a mail to IOC on June 6, complaining against Batra for ''blatantly'' flouting rules. In a letter to IOA members, Batra on June 7 said he is currently in quarantine and will reply to Mittal after returning to his office.