BFI vs IOA: Why Indian boxing is in turmoil

Stripped of its administrative powers by IOA for allegedly failing to conduct elections on time, accusations and counter-accusations are flying thick and fast within the Boxing Federation of India on what is to be blamed for the mess that has been in the making for several months.

Abuse of power, financial misconduct, and the never-ending turf wars are now coming to light as officials jostle to escape blame for the shocking turn of events.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) formed a five-member ad-hoc committee on Monday to oversee the sport's affairs, citing the federation's failure to conduct elections on time.

The panel is headed by former Athletics Federation of India (AFI) treasurer Madhukant Pathak, and comprises long-serving boxing federation officials such as Rajesh Bhandari (vice-chairman), D P Bhatt, Virendra Singh Thakur and former Asian champion Shiva Thapa as the sole players' representative.

The sport's fortunes have been on the decline for a while now but the internal tug of war had so far been under wraps. With the IOA's crackdown, it is now out in the open.

On December 28, the BFI received a complaint, a copy of which is in PTI's possession, accusing key officials, including Secretary General Hemanta Kalita and Treasurer Digvijay Singh, of 'unauthorised fund withdrawals, fraudulent billing, and abuse of power'.

They were also accused of tender process violations and it was claimed that contracts for the Multinational Training Camp in Rohtak and the Guwahati Talent Hunt were awarded without following the proper procedure.

It was also alleged that non-boxing individuals were appointed as Technical Officials (NTOs) and there was unauthorised withdrawal of foreign currency and misuse of federation funds for personal expenses, among others.

During the Executive Council meeting on January 12 attended by both the secretary and treasurer, it was decided that an inquiry will be conducted.

To avoid conflict of interest, former Delhi High Court judge, Sudhir Kumar Jain was appointed by the BFI to lead the investigation on January 21. Since then Jain has conducted several sittings.

However, Digvijay wrote to BFI head Ajay Singh this week, objecting to the "unilateral appointment of a one-man

inquiry committee" instead of referring the matter to the federation's internal Disciplinary and Dispute Committee.

The complaints made in December specifically highlighted misappropriation of funds and protocol violations by the finance committee. It is to be noted that Digvijay also heads the BFI finance committee, which includes Meren Paul, a member of the Disciplinary and Dispute Committee.

Jain summoned Kalita and Digvijay for questioning on Tuesday, but neither appeared for the investigation.

The current office-bearers' tenure ended on February 3. However, the date of elections are yet to be announced. During the National Games in Uttarakhand earlier this month, 24 state associations wrote to the BFI President, demanding elections to be held on March 9.

However, many of these associations, including those from Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, later withdrew their demand, instead expressing support for Singh to decide the election's date and venue.

BFI also informed the Sports Ministry about the delay.

In a letter dated February 3, the federation stated that a Special General Body Meeting (SGM) was scheduled for Tuesday, and assured the ministry that the election will be conducted by mid-March.

However, the meeting was not held.

"The National Games were going on and World Boxing is in the final stages to get recognition from the IOC and the president is closely involved in this, hence it was decided that the meeting will be held in March," a BFI official familiar with the development said.

Meanwhile, IOA Treasurer and Dispute and Affiliation Committee member Sahdev Yadav on Monday strongly opposed the appointment of an ad-hoc committee to oversee the BFI.

He criticised the decision as "arbitrary and without due authority," stating that no procedural steps were followed before making such a move.

In a letter to IOA president P T Usha, Yadav said: "The issuance of this office order creates an impression that the decision has been taken by the IOA, whereas, in reality, it is your personal decision."

He further stressed that National Sports Federations (NSFs) are autonomous bodies and that the IOA does not have the authority to interfere in their internal governance. However, there have been past precedents of IOA stepping in to manage a sport's affairs if the federation fails to conduct elections on time.