Tribune News Service
New Delhi, April 6
The turf war within the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has reached the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) offices. The CBI has registered a preliminary enquiry (PE) against IOA president Narinder Batra for using Hockey India (HI) funds for personal interests.
As per the CBI sources, a sum of Rs 35 lakh from HI was used by Batra. “We have registered a preliminary enquiry on a complaint we received from the Indian Olympic Association,” a source said.
It is understood that the matter is related to the renovation of Batra’s office situated at the second floor of the IOA Bhawan in Qutab Educational Area. As per IOA treasurer Anandeshwar Panday, who raised the issue last year, a sum of Rs 36.19 lakh was spent to redo the office. Panday alleged that a few invoices indicated that the money may have come from HI, although the federation’s book has no entry of this transaction.
The filing of the PE has once again added fuel to the dispute, with the treasurer threatening to disaffiliate HI if the body does not reimburse the said amount. Panday, in his letter to Batra and HI officials, has claimed that because of this pending matter, IOA has not filed its income tax returns for 2020/21 and 2021/22, which may result in a heavy penalty and the federation losing its charitable status.
“The full responsibility for any losses which IOA is likely to suffer will be that of all of you individually and also of HI collectively,” Panday wrote in his letter. “While I am informed that you all have released some documents to CBI, you all have decided not to cooperate with IOA. This is my final request to all of you to share the information as given by you to CBI with the IOA as well,” he added. “…In case IOA does not receive the information in respect of the President Office by this weekend I will recommend to IOA AGM through the Secretary General to suspend HI from IOA without any delay,” he added.
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