MP players represent M’laya
Our Spl Correspondent
New Delhi: There seems to be no end to controversies relating to the game of hockey in Meghalaya.
After two outsiders were fraudulently nominated for the Hockey India (HI) elections last year, now players from host Madhya Pradesh represented the State in the game against Haryana at the ongoing senior national hockey championship.
It is a different matter, however, that Meghalaya lost to the mighty Haryana team but a state team represented by players from a different state has raised eyebrows in the sports circles.
Madhya Pradesh is currently plagued by infighting among two associations that want to wrest control of the game in that state.
Taking advantage of the situation, a few senior players including reputed Olympians from Bhopal, allowed several players to participate under the Meghalaya banner.
This is the first national-level hockey tournament organised by Hockey India (HI) since its inception in 2009.
With regards to the controversial HI elections last year, Meghalaya Police had booked two Assam sports officials — Raj Kakoti, treasurer of Assam Olympic Association and Sumita Sinha — on charges of impersonation and cheating.
According to the FIR filed by general secretary of the Meghalaya State Olympic Association D Syiemlieh at Sadar Police Station in Shillong, it was mentioned that Kakoti and Sinha were not representatives of any association or federation under the Meghalaya Olympic Association or the State sports department.
Hence, their participation in the election as Meghalaya representatives amounted to forgery and cheating, the FIR mentioned.
