Hockey India has taken serious measures against its Director General Commander Arka Rake Srivastava, immediately revoking all his powers. The President of Hockey India, Dileep Tirkey, through his lawyer, sent Srivastava a notice presenting eight serious allegations, including a dispute over the Indian team's kit. These actions are being taken to maintain discipline, accountability, and transparency within the organization.
The notice clearly states that all rights of the Director General of Hockey India are terminated with immediate effect. He no longer has the right to act on behalf of Hockey India. These directives are issued to ensure order, responsibility, transparency, and smooth operation. Srivastava is required to hand over all official records, documents, files, access credentials, and unfinished matters to an officer appointed by the presidential office.
The use of any rights related to operational, executive, administrative, financial, supervisory, signing, approval, disciplinary, media, or representative activities has been prohibited. Furthermore, he has been forbidden from altering, deleting, or concealing any physical or electronic records, while being required to preserve them. However, the notice emphasizes that this is not a final decision or penalty, and it will not affect his current contractual salary or benefits.
One of the main charges is the incident regarding the change of the Indian national team's kit. The traditional blue kit was replaced with orange under the pretext of visibility issues. The notice alleges that this change was implemented and publicized without consultation with the president or the executive committee. Despite repeated instructions, no official proposals, approvals, or documentary basis were provided for this decision.
The second major charge concerns the World Cup trip held in the Netherlands and Belgium. Srivastava was strictly instructed to remain in India to focus on the upcoming Hockey India League (HIL), franchise coordination, and planning. He was also advised to stay as per the letter dated July 30. Nevertheless, he traveled, which was deemed direct disobedience and an insult to the presidential office. The notice notes that members of the selection committee Subhadra Pradhan, age group coach Rani, and Sardar Singh were designated to carry out specific institutional tasks but were not sent, while Srivastava himself participated in the World Cup, prioritizing himself. The notice states that these instances raise serious and recurring questions regarding executive accountability.
Other charges include the issue of a media blackout issued by the PR agency on July 31 during the kit dispute, and the subsequent failure to take action against the agency. He is also accused of ignoring instructions in the case of improper treatment of players Manpreet Singh, Dilpreet Singh, and Krishna Patak during the visit to South Africa. Instructions from January 23 had to be repeated multiple times, yet Srivastava continued to claim that measures had been taken.
Additionally, he was required to respond to reports of a protest against the exclusion of Manpreet by head coach Craig Fulton and threats of dismissal. He is accused of failing to provide any clarification, confirmation, denial, or report on actions taken by Fulton, even after repeated requests. Moreover, ICC/POSH records were not provided despite requests made from July 15 regarding the Vikram Pal case. The notice also contains a charge that important correspondence and negotiations with FIH, AHF, and national federations were not fully presented to the president and elected bodies. Srivastava must respond within four weeks of receiving the notice, or further action will be taken based on available records. Despite attempts to contact Srivastava, no success has been achieved. All attention is now focused on the DG's response to the notice and the subsequent steps the federation will take.