NEW DELHI: Amid an ongoing political tussle, the Boxing Federation of India’s (BFI) affiliaited units and executive committee (ExCo) members sat in one room on Wednesday in New Delhi to showcase their unity and strength against the current president, Ajay Singh. Claiming the support of 27 out of 35 units and 8 of 13 ExCo members, the faction met Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports Raksha Khadse and Indian Olympic Association (IOA) CEO Raghuram Iyer to register their concerns via a memorandum.It was originally scheduled to be a Special General Meeting (SGM) and vote of no-confidence against Singh. Those plans were shelved by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which put the SGM in abeyance until November 13.That, however, didn’t dissuade the hierarchy from coming together and expressing their displeasure with the three-time BFI president and his tenure.BFI secretary general Pramod Kumar – who was suspended by Singh – treasurer Pon Baskaran, vice-president Rajesh Bhandari, Delhi Amateur Boxing Association vice-president Rohit Jain and others said they submitted a memorandum to the Sports Ministry, the IOA and World Boxing president Gennadiy Golovkin.The memorandum accused Singh of concentrating powers in his hands, sidelining elected office-bearers and undermining democratic processes within the federation.Separately, the group alleged administrative lapses, disregard for the constitution and a “Hitler-ish approach” by Singh.“We have given our memorandum to them (Sports Ministry). Whatever issued we have, whether it is related to the constitution or technical conduct, whether it is related to coaching or selection committee, and about the administration, we have told him everything. Now, it is his decision. And we have also written to the global body. Unfortunately, the meeting we wanted to hold today wasn’t possible, but let’s see what changes from here,” said Bhandari.“Every time an official within the Boxing Federation has questioned Ajay Singh’s authority, they have either been suspended or served with a show-cause notice. If we do not get any respite from this situation, it is possible that we will sit at Jantar Mantar in the coming days,” said BFI Senior VP Rajesh Bhandari.
Left to right: BFI Vice President Rajesh Bhandari, Secretary General Pramod Kumar and VP of Delhi Amateur Boxing Association Rohit Jain. (Photo by special arrangement)
Rohit Jain, who has challenged Singh’s presidency in the past and vows to do so again, claimed the biggest issue is the constitutional overreach.“This battle started in 2024. They modified the constitution as such that it suits them. They rested all the powers at the seat of the president. They suspend any state unit without giving a notice, without assigning any reasons. Have you ever heard that someone will be suspended without giving a reason and an ad-hoc committee be formed? The main reason for this, I have to say, is that I have experienced the pain. They wanted to keep me away from boxing and competition so that I could not win the elections and could not stand in front of them. They changed the constitution not once, but twice,” he said.BFI claims support of 21 authorised unitsOn the same day, 21 of BFI’s 35 authorised state units participated in a two-day ‘Mission Olympic Podium’ meeting in Bagdogra. Representatives of 18 units attended in person, while three joined through video conferencing. The participating units included the ad hoc committees of Mizoram and Jharkhand along with the BFI Athletes committee player representative.“Our responsibility is to the boxers and their future. The participation of a majority of our authorised state units demonstrates their commitment to working together as a federation towards our Olympic ambitions, with athletes at the centre of that effort. The work begins in the states — identifying talent, supporting coaches and creating a clear pathway for boxers to progress, gain competitive exposure and represent India. We must build a system that consistently prepares our boxers to succeed at the highest level,” said BFI chief Ajay Singh.The latest developments come as the administrative chaos in the BFI continues for a third year running. The current logjam was heightened after Ajay Singh suspended Pramod Kumar, who had challenged the president’s authority. Singh has argued that his removal will require support from three-fourths of the General Body members. But for that, SGM needs to be called as per the constitutional norms. Meanwhile, for a no-confidence vote against Singh to succeed, the rival faction needs support of 23 units, or two-thirds.
