NDUHA challenges its ‘own’ body!

May 19, 2025

Special Correspondent

Vidarbha Hockey Association (VHA), for decades, remained entwined in legal battles until it was disbanded by Hockey India in July 2020. (It is still fighting a legal battle for its existence).

Now, it is the turn of Nagpur District Unified Hockey Association (NDUHA) to invite controversy and create confusion among hockey players and teams alike. The body, which got registered with the Deputy Charity Commissioner Office, Nagpur in 2013, failed to hold any election since its inception and then in 2022 decided to 

hand over the reins to ‘young generation’.

But suddenly, the ‘original’ members, who are registered trustees in the Schedule 1 with the Deputy Charity Commissioner Office, Nagpur, woke up and alleged that their own current ‘ruling body’—The Nagpur District Unified Hockey Association, which they themselves authorised, is illegal.

Till date, Vinod Trivedi is the President and Salim Baig is the Secretary of NDUHA, as per an RTI information sought by Gurpreet Singh, an avid hockey lover, from the Deputy Charity Commissioner Office, Nagpur.

In 2022, NDUHA decided to ‘hand over’ the reins of the association to the younger generation and Pramod Thakre was ‘appointed’ as the President and Parvez Qureshi as the Secretary. The other 15 members were also appointed. The entire body was declared during a press conference held at a Restaurant near Chhatrapati square on October 7, 2022.

In the same ‘new’ body Pramod Jain, was appointed the joint secretary. In the original body which is registered with Deputy Charity Commissioner, Jain is one of the joint secretaries.

With ‘The’ Nagpur District Unified Hockey Association (TNDHUA) Secretary Parvez Qureshi failing in his duties and working in allegedly dictatorial manner, Jain parted ways and decided to challenge the legality of his own association — TNDUHA. ‘The Hitavada’ had published that President Thakre too wanted to dissolve TNDUHA due to high-handedness of Secretary Qureshi.

After few days, the Thakre-led body held a meeting and it was decided to work for development of the game and organise tournaments. But till date not a single tournament has been organised by TNDUHA.

On May 13, 2025, a meeting of NDUHA, headed by Vinod Trivedi, was held at Tiger’s Gap ground where it was decided to take charge of the association.

The NDUHA members also alleged that TNDUHA which is affiliated with Hockey Maharashtra, is illegal.

“The registered body is Nagpur District Unified Hockey Association and not ‘The’ Nagpur District Unified Hockey Association,” claimed Jain through a press release. Article ‘The’ is the bone of contention, as per Jain.

NDUHA members also alleged that Hockey Maharashtra has given affiliation to the wrong Nagpur district body without verifying the registered documents.

With Salim Baig indisposed, eight members, who attended the meeting, decided that Jain would discharge the duties of secretary, stated a press release, signed by Jain himself. Copy of minutes of the meeting is in possession with ‘The Hitavada’.

The attempt to ‘take over’ the association, created by themselves, will further invite legal battles as NDUHA itself has not conducted a single election. As per its constitution the term of an executive body is of four years. 

As per Jain, four members of the 17-member body, have passed away.

Jain claimed that NDUHA could not conduct tournaments as Hockey India had given associate membership to VHA in 2014. But in one year, from 2013 to 2014, hardly any hockey activity was organised by NDUHA.

Now, even if they want to regroup and restart hockey activities afresh, it would be interesting to see how much the members devote themselves for the promotion of the game which is dwindling at a neck-breaking speed in Nagpur.