BFI suspends secretary over alleged financial irregularities
KOLKATA Boxing Federation of India (BFI) president Ajay Singh has suspended secretary general Pramod Kumar, escalating the ongoing dispute between the two officials. The action follows Kumar's move to bring a no-confidence motion against Singh, with the federation's general house scheduled to decide the president's fate on October 28. In a letter issued on Tuesday, Singh cited several pending enquiries against Kumar, who had previously received a show-cause notice over alleged irregularities involving various actions and financial decisions. The suspension marks a fresh development in the dispute over the federation's administration and leadership. Singh's letter accused Kumar of failing to cooperate and attempting to destabilise the organisation. It also alleged that the secretary general had issued directions and notices without proper authority, intimidated and maligned senior federation officials, and circulated unsubstantiated allegations through the media. These allegations formed the grounds cited for the disciplinary action. Following the suspension, Singh barred Kumar from exercising all powers associated with his position and removed him from all BFI panels. The move came after Kumar initiated the no-confidence process against the president, intensifying tensions within the national boxing governing body. Responding to the action, Kumar challenged Singh's authority to suspend him while the no-confidence motion remained pending. “Ajay Singh cannot suspend me as a no-confidence motion has been moved against him. The general house will decide his fate on October 28. We have the support of 28 associations and we will stop his dictatorship,” Kumar said. His statement underlined the continuing confrontation between the two office-bearers. The outcome of the October 28 meeting is expected to be significant for the federation's leadership, as the dispute continues to unfold. The competing positions have placed the federation's internal governance under scrutiny ahead of the scheduled decision by its general house.
