MUMBAI, JUNE 29: There is much more than meets the eye in the claims of a former Bombay hockey player Amiruddin Siddique who has blamed the Bombay Hockey Association (BHA) for reducing past records to ashes. The BHA had recently burnt old material pertaining to the game, which according to president Dilbagh Singh Bakshi, was ``unimportant''.Siddique, who never represented India but was known for his skills as a centre-forward during his playing days, has blamed BHA for being negligent towards players like him. The 71-year-old is angry with the BHA for having failed to provide him with his old newspaper cuttings and other records which he wants to use for a book he is to write.Bakshi says the claims of Siddique are false and he is using the issue to settle personal grudge against the officials. The BHA office was open for all to come and see what has been done away with, he explained.``What has been burnt were old souvenirs of which we had excess copies that were eaten by white-ants. Besides, we also had to do away with old tournament charts, umpires' sheets, league tables and old Income-Tax receipts.''``We are trying to set our office in order with plans of renovation and hence we had to do away with these old papers,'' he added.Bakshi produced the Ground and Tournament Committee Minutes Book that is in existence since 1946 when the association was called The Bombay Provincial Hockey Association Limited to prove that not all has been done away with.Replying to Siddique's charge that Bakshi refused to acknowledge his identity, the BHA chief said, ``What I meant was, as far as official records go, he must have been a player and his name would be in the team lists but otherwise, he has no standing.''``Moreover, as far as personal records are concerned, it is not the duty of the Association to maintain them. We keep whatever is official and is mandatory to be preserved.''BHA treasurer BG Chokhani stated the Association cannot be blamed for callousness. ``All our records and accounts are complete including the Income-Tax receipts and Refunds received for 2000.''Chokhani blasted Siddique for trying to malign the image of BHA for his own gains. ``It is known he has been contesting the Association elections for more than a decade but has never been able to secure even a management committee post.''Siddique has been in the habit of blowing things out of proportions, he charged.According to Bakshi, the former player used to display his laurels on the BHA notice board during elections seeking votes. Siddique who, on one hand, threatened to take BHA to court with help from former Olympians, suggests he is willing to shake hands if BHA apologises for its doings.
