JKTA gets stay order against selection of taekwondo players by ad hoc panel

Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 6

The J&K Taekwondo Association (JKTA) has taken stay order against the alleged selection of players through the ad hoc technical committee, headed by a former office-bearer of the association, who has been appointed by former president of the Taekwondo Federation of India (TFI), Renu Mahant.

The JKTA had blacklisted the former office-bearer in 2012 alleging that he misguided students in the name of taekwondo by taking money.

The association has advised all parents and students not to indulge in any selection process by the technicial committee, headed by the former office-bearer.

“The J&K Taekwondo Association will not be responsible for any kind of mishap with players due to the technical committee. The JKTA appeals to all district heads of the association, parents, players, officials and heads of institutions to protect the talent of our state from getting exploited by these cunning hands and save innocent players from participating in fake championships,” a JKTA statement said.

“The JKTA, headed by its president, PC Sharma, is affiliated to the TFI, headed by acting president Raj Kakati, is in turn affiliated to the World Taekwondo Federation and Indian Olympic Association, besides getting recognition from the Department of Youth Affairs and HRD Ministry and is only recognised body of Taekwondo in India as well as J&K,” it claimed.

The JKTA stated that the TFI had recently conducted a general body Meeting wherein a “no-confidence motion” was passed against former president of the TFI Renu Mahant and her husband Harish Kumar, who was working as the chairman of the federation. It added that for the smooth conduct of the TFI activities till the next general body meeting, Raj Kakati was nominated by all state members as the acting president of the TFI and all the circulars signed by former president Renu Mahant dated after November 23, 2014, were null and void.

“Both Renu Mahant and her husband have been removed from the TFI, but they are contacting all the blacklisted members of different states to make parallel bodies in different states, including J&K, to get participation in their national championship, which is totally null and void in its nature. They are trying to get maximum participation in this fraud championship just to fill their pockets,” the association maintained.

“In J&K, they have made the already blacklisted person as the chairman of technical committee by bypassing the state association as well as the national body. They have made him the chairman just to take money from the innocent players and to make them participate in the fraud national championship, namely 33rd National Junior Taekwondo Championship,” it observed.

The JKTA has appealed to the Secretary, J&K State Sports Council, and all its members to look into the matter sympathetically and take appropriate action against the “culprits”.