At a time when the BFI should have been building on the momentum generated by the Asian Games, BFI president Ajay Singh and secretary general Pramod Kumar are engaged in a bitter turf war for control of the federation.The BFI is being run unilaterally by its president, alleged members of the executive body. They claim no executive body meeting has been held in the past 12 months.

The success of Indian boxers at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games has been overshadowed by a severe governance crisis in the Boxing Federation of India (BFI).
India won six medals at the Asian Games, including three gold, to cap a successful campaign. However, once again, it is the federation grabbing headlines for all the wrong reasons, raising serious questions about the ability of the current dispensation to run one of the country’s most successful sports.
Olympic Games

With the LA28 Olympics boxing qualification set to begin early next year, the internal governance crisis could affect preparations. Instead of building on the momentum generated by the Asian Games, the wrangling between two key BFI officials — president Ajay Singh and secretary general Pramod Kumar — has escalated to the point where both have issued letters suspending each other.
It remains to be seen how the crisis plays out in the coming months. However, crucial development programmes at the grassroots level, the domestic calendar and age-group competitions — all of which require coordinated efforts by the federation — could suffer.

Elite boxers

SAI (Sports Authority of India) has partnered with Indian Oil to strengthen the ecosystem of boxing in India and also prepare elite boxers for the 2028 Olympic Games. Elite boxers are usually supported by the SAI, which organises national camps, provides international exposure and oversees other aspects of training. However, such administrative deadlock can severely affect development at the grassroots level, particularly age-group competitions.
It is no secret that Indian boxing lacks depth in its talent pipeline. “The administrative crisis has become a routine affair in BFI since last year, and it affects domestic scheduling and competitions,” a well-known coach told Sportsbackstory.com. “At last year’s senior national championships, several issues — from accommodation to facilities — arose because of the infighting within BFI. Boxers and coaches bear the brunt on the ground. It is not good for the sport,” the coach added.
No Executive Body meeting in one year!

Pramod Kumar, BFI secretary general, has alleged that president Ajay Singh routinely takes major policy and executive decisions “without consulting or taking approval from the Executive Committee and the General Body.”
“There has been no meeting of the Executive Body of the BFI in the last 12 months,” Kumar claimed in a letter dated October 8.

BFI elections
Other members of the executive body have raised similar concerns at various points over the past year. Ajay Singh was re-elected as BFI president for a third consecutive term on August 21, 2025, following a bitterly contested election and a showdown with officials. Several court cases have challenged the BFI’s constitutional amendments, electoral college rules and the disqualification of former Union Minister Anurag Thakur as a candidate.

Accusations and counter-accusations

Meanwhile, the internal crisis within the BFI has continued unabated. The latest round of accusations began when secretary general Pramod Kumar called a Special General Meeting (SGM) of the BFI General Body for October 24, proposing a motion of no confidence against the president.

Unauthorised changes

He alleged that Singh had “repeatedly attempted to force through unauthorised changes to the BFI constitution” and had been “engaging in conflicts with elected office bearers, creating administrative obstacles.”

Kumar also alleged that “administrative staff, specifically Col Arun Malik, acting at Singh’s behest, has misused their authority, including through the unauthorised takeover and use of official email address”.
He further claimed that “technical standards in refereeing and judging at national events had deteriorated significantly, citing repeated officiating controversies and the absence of an accountability mechanism for ring officials.”

Five days later, on Wednesday, BFI president Ajay Singh suspended Pramod Kumar as secretary general, “exercising his powers under the BFI constitution”.

Show-cause notices

Singh said show-cause notices had been issued to Kumar on October 10 and 12, giving him sufficient time to respond to the allegations.
“Several inquiries are pending against the now suspended secretary general with respect to various acts and financial decisions taken by him,” Singh wrote in a letter to BFI state units. He also alleged that Kumar had been attempting to “destabilise the organisation” by issuing directions and notices without authority.
Within hours, Kumar fired back with a letter of his own, announcing the suspension of the president.
Kumar alleged that Singh had violated the constitutional framework of the BFI, causing “administrative disarray and threatening to compromise the sanctity and fair conduct of the upcoming SGM.”
With both key office-bearers now having moved to suspend each other, the power struggle within the federation threatens to deepen in the coming days.
EOM