What’s the story?
President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH), Narinder Batra, posted a string of messages on Facebook after Kashmiri separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq used Twitter to congratulate the Pakistan cricket team on winning the final of the Champions Trophy at The Oval in London yesterday.
The Indian called Farooq a "Pakistani sucker" and a "pig", before suggesting that he should return to Pakistan. The FIH President also called Farooq a "Pakistan sympathiser".
"Why doesn't Government of India pick up this Pakistani sucker and pig Mirwaiz Omar Farooq and throw him across the border," commented Batra. "Why does my country tolerate these Pakistan sympathisers?" Batra finished the post by proclaiming himself a "proud Kashmiri" and a "patriotic Indian".
In a separate incident, the FIH President also ranted about the British police for summoning Indian star Sardar Singh for questioning after the Hockey World League semi-final match against Pakistan, in connection with an alleged sexual assault case.
Batra had previously stated on his Facebook page, “England is a country which is a safe heaven for all fraudsters who have run away from India and agree to invest in England”.
“I would love to see the reaction of England and world media if in India the England players are called to police stations. Request the Indian media to get the Ministry of External Affairs and Indian High Commission in UK involved.” He added, “(sic) Typical British Policy, Divide and Rule, 16 Pakistani Origin MP’s to salvage their humiliation in hockey now decide to demoralise the Team.”
The posts on Facebook were later deleted.
In case you didn’t know...
Last Sunday featured two high-profile matches featuring India and Pakistan. In the 2017 Champions Trophy final, Pakistan thrashed India by 180 runs to win their maiden trophy. On the same day, India ore apart Pakistan 7-1 in a fierce Hockey World League (HWL) semifinal clash.
The heart of the matter
Narinder Batra who was elected as the FIH President in 2016, responded to Farooq's tweets with a derogatory Facebook post. He also was angered by the fact that the local police decided to summon Sardar Singh to Leeds right in the middle of the HWL Semifinal which is currently ongoing
FIH issued a statement regarding the Facebook posts written by Batra, where they emphasised that the comments were the personal thoughts of Batra and not representative of the views of the FIH. The FIH also apologised for any offence that the President’s comments may have caused the people.
The governing body of the sport also had the comments deleted from the Facebook page and promised to review the matter internally in line with their governance processes.
What’s next?
The President of the FIH has since said that if things regarding Sardar Singh escalate, he would get involved in the matter, not in the capacity of president but as an Indian citizen. The FIH will carry out an investigation into the matter and it is to be seen how things pan out for the current president.
Despite Batra’s Facebook tirade, this incident will be taken seriously by the British police since Sardar Singh has previously been accused by a British woman of rape and assault both in India and the UK in 2016.
Author’s take
Batra became the second person this week to get embroiled in a social media controversy. Earlier, Sports Minister Vijay Goel came under scrutiny for comments made against a hockey fan page in response to questions about the screening of the Champions Trophy final at Major Dhyanchand Stadium.
