The mud-slinging in the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) continued for another day with incumbent president Ajay Singh accusing suspended secretary Hemanta Kumar Kalita of stopping Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain from competing in the upcoming women’s senior national championships in Greater Noida, even as he pledged all support for the boxers participating in the tournament.

“Assam is discouraging players from participating in the women’s Nationals. Lovlina has recorded a video of support. But officers have received a call that she has been asked by Hemanta Kalita not to participate. Because she owes a lot to Assam boxing, she is reconsidering her participation,” Singh said in an “emergency press conference” here.

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Singh also condemned state associations for blocking player entries into the senior nationals for political reasons while arguing that such actions are a grave disservice to the sport. He assured that BFI will cover all expenses for players affected by state-level politics, ensuring they can compete in the competition without hindrance.

“If any state federation is stopping their boxers or cancelling their tickets or arrangements, the Boxing Federation of India and I personally will pay for each one of those boxers to come and participate in the Nationals. We will provide them the tickets, the hotels, and whatever else is required,” Singh told the media on Wednesday.

“A helpline number (7003191553) will be available to them. Boxers can call this number and we will make the arrangements for them,” Singh added.

The senior national championship is scheduled in Greater Noida from March 20-27 and some state associations who are at loggerheads with the BFI ahead of the March 28 elections have been accused of blocking the entries of boxers for the competition.

The event comes amid the suspension of BFI General Secretary Hemanta Kumar Kalita and Treasurer Digvijay Singh, following an inquiry into corruption and abuse of power. The one-man investigation, led by former Delhi High court judge Sudhir Kumar Jain, found both officials guilty of misusing their positions for personal gain, prompting Singh to take disciplinary action.

“I must highlight this, especially for my friends from Assam who are present here—their team is being blocked from attending the national championships. In my view, Kalita and the Federation in Assam are responsible for this obstruction. We cannot ignore the interests of the players themselves. Politics is one thing—everyone has the right to contest elections and have political differences—but preventing athletes from competing in a national championship is a great disservice to the sport. This is something we must all stand against,” Singh said.

Dismissing allegations that the suspensions were politically motivated, Singh emphasised that the decision was made per the BFI Constitution.

“On the basis of that report, I have suspended the Secretary General and the Treasurer from their current responsibilities, and it is with the deepest regret that we need to take those actions to restore or maintain the credibility of the Federation that I happen to be president of at this point in time,” he said while adding that the BFI has forwarded the report to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and any further action will be decided in consultation with them.