Narinder Batra: Once the boss of Indian hockey, now under the CBI lens

Narinder Batra, a veteran sports administrator, stepped down from his post as the President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the International Hockey Federation (FIH), along with his position as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Monday.

Earlier in the day, the central bureau of investigation (CBI) had conducted raids at his residence and offices in New Delhi and Jammu.

CBI, in April, had initiated a preliminary investigation against Batra for misappropriation of Rs 35 lakh, originally belonging to Hockey India. This body plans and conducts all activities related to hockey in India. Batra was earlier the president of the body.

In May, the Delhi High Court ruled against Batra and struck down his 'Life Member' position in Hockey India. In 2017, Batra won the elections and was appointed the President of Hockey India.

Senior vice president Anil Khanna has been appointed as the acting chief of IOC.

Who is Narinder Batra?

Batra was born on April 19, 1957. He completed his graduation from Amar Singh College, Srinagar and later went on to pursue an LLB from the University of Kashmir, Srinagar. He completed his law degree in 1981.  

Throughout his career, Batra played hockey at various levels. He was a part of the inter-school hockey team for four years between 1970 and 1973. In 1973, he became a part of Jammu and Kashmir's Junior State Hockey team.

Between 1974 and 1980, Batra played on the senior state Hockey team. He also played in the Inter-College Hockey Tournament and later played at the All India Inter-University Hockey Championship.  

Batra then served at various high-level positions in sports administration. In 1997, he was appointed president of Hockey Jammu and Kashmir. In 2002, he became the senior vice president of the India Hockey Federation (Men).

Between 2009 and 2010, Batra was the secretary general and treasurer of Hockey India. In 2014, Batra became the President of Hockey India.

He was also the chairman of the organising committee of 9 International Hockey tournaments in India. In 2011, he was elected the vice president of the Asian Hockey Federation.

Batra also served as the chairman of the Delhi & District Cricket Association between 2003 and 2013.

In 2013, he was elected as the associate vice-president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) till 2018. Then, he was elected as the President of IOA.

Since 2016, Batra was also the president of the International Hockey Federation.

Batra has been awarded many awards, including the Vijay Ratna from the Prime Minister in 1991, but several controversies have marred his reign. In 2020, the then IOC vice-president, now acting chief, Anil Batra, wrote to IOC accusing Narinder Batra of irregularities and misappropriation of funds.