Aman Zutshi
Several women hockey players on Thursday raised serious allegations against J&K Hockey Association officials and also held a protest against banning their hockey club so that they cannot play in tournaments. The players also allege eve teasing at the hand of officials.
One of the protesting Hockey player told media, “The J&K hockey association recently held a hockey tournament and our male players of hockey ‘Bandurakh’ club were stopped from playing. The officials told us that those hockey players who played Poonch army tournament have been banned. We’re staging a protest today and want J&K hockey association to fix their system.
Reacting to a media query on eve teasing inside the Hockey ground, she added, “We have been raising allegations as the girl players are teased here, the ambit of sexual harassment doesn’t always cover a physical touch it also mean when someone passes obscene comments on our clothing which we’re facing. We have given written complaints and cognisance have been taken but even after that the accused are being allowed to walk here”.
“Sometimes the officials ask us to come alone to their room and why they are not issuing certificates to girls who have participated in National hockey tournament. What is the reason that they have held our certificates. A Kashmiri girl who raised allegations was not allowed to play nationals”, she alleged.
Coach of Bandurakh Hockey club and National hockey player, Mr Danish Preet Singh, said, “There is tournament that is going on here and 37 hockey clubs are registered with J&K hockey club and only 7 have got entry. We have been playing from last twenty years and this time we have been denied entry to play. We got no answer of the mails and calls which we made to the association. LG sir has sanctioned Rs 4.85 crore for the synthetic hockey field at Bandhurakh in Kunjwani. I train 40-50 players everyday and when they’re not being permitted to play their families ask us the reason. There is dictatorship that is going on”.
An official of J&K hockey association said, “Last year when a girl hockey player wasn’t selected she raised allegations against our Sr Vice President of hockey association and he is an aged person. The girl later played in the national tournament and also wrote a written apology to our president. There are some anti-social elements who don’t want promotion and encouragement of hockey in J&K. The players who are actively participating they should be asked. Some people cannot tolerate seeing everything going smoothly”.
