Hockey Karnataka won the first round in its battle with Karnataka State Hockey Association (KSHA) over the use of the stadium in Shantinagar here on Sunday. Personnel from the Ashoknagar police station ensured the smooth conduct of Hockey Karnataka’s league matches on Sunday, after dispersing protesting KSHA members and even barricading the doors to deny entry to the pitch.
Similar to events on Saturday, the two rival factions had both scheduled matches at 4 p.m. However, unlike the first instance where both matches were called off, Hockey Karnataka came up trumps this time.
The KSHA later made an announcement that it had decided to put off its ‘A’ division league until Wednesday. “We have many hands, which are linked to many powerful connections. We expect one [connection] to click in the next couple of days, so we hope to resume our league on Wednesday,” KSHA treasurer S.K. Gupta said. Another clash, therefore, is on the cards, as the Hockey Karnataka league extends until nearly the month-end.
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As the start-time approached on Sunday, KSHA members assembled peacefully on the pitch as a sign of protest. Police officials then requested them to exit, and held a meeting with the protesters. The rival body’s match was allowed to start, and the supervising police officers barricaded the door leading to the pitch from the KSHA club house. Aggrieved KSHA officials attempted to reason with the police, but to no avail. The match then passed without incident.
Hockey Karnataka secretary A.B. Subbaiah explained that he was made aware of a group message that was circulated among KSHA members, after which he called the police to help conduct the match. The message called on the members to turn up in big numbers for the proposed protest, he said. “I got to know of this mass SMS, after which we gave a letter to the Ashoknagar police station. We requested them to come over to the stadium; we did not want any trouble during our match.
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“In terms of a long-term solution, I do not believe that the two bodies can sort out this issue on their own. Tempers will surely flare, and both parties will resort to a mindless blame-game. We will be better off if a government body acts as a mediator,” Mr. Subbaiah said.