JOIN USHockey India’s request to get security for the participating countries of the Hero Junior Men’s World Cup seems to have fallen in deaf ears and it has prompted its secretary-general Narinder Batra to decide against hosting any FIH event in the capital post the World League Finals in January.
With 16 teams around the world participating in the high-profile tournament, the security is of prime significance. But Hockey India’s repeated requests to the home ministry were still to get the desired response. The Delhi assembly elections on Wednesday and the counting of votes on December 8 could have been the possible reasons for the delay.
“The junior World Cup is a high-profile tournament and I don't know why the Delhi Police are not able to depute personnels for the safety of the players and officials for the tournament. We had written to the home ministry about this, which is now awaiting the clearance from the Intelligence Bureau department,” Batra told reporters on Thursday.
"We have managed to hire (a) private security agency in the stadium and hotel (The Lalit), where the players are staying but their movements, even from (the) hotel to the stadium, is without any security cover. This has never happened before. Every time a team is travelling they have been accompanied by at least four gunmen.”
Batra was clear that Delhi had seen the last of the FIH event because of the problems posed by security and other clearances. India are scheduled to hosts Champions Trophy in December next year and Batra said they will move the event out of Delhi to Bhubaneswar.
“There will be home matches of Hockey India League and the World League finals in January because we had committed to it before. But after this there will be no more events in Delhi,” he said.
“The Champions Trophy will now be moved to Bhubaneswar. We have astro turfs in various other cities in the country besides Delhi and we can very well hold these events there.”
The participating teams in World Cup, however, have not complained about the lack of security.
But Batra did also add that there were no concerns.
“There are no such concerns. We have managed to hire private security,” Batra said.