Click to play videoNew Delhi: KPS Gill is the man who ran Indian hockey as a personal fiefdom. His exit from the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) is good news for the hockey fraternity in India, many of whom had taken to the streets in the past to protest his autocratic regime.
Says former hockey player, Dhanraj Pillai, "I think the system was not correct because you have to respect your players. It is because of the players that the federation is running not the other way round. Aslam Sher Khan is taking over and we will all work under him."
Under KPS Gill and former IHF Secretary, Jothikumaran, Indian hockey plunged to new lows. More than 15 coaches were sacked, incidents of violence in domestic hockey saw a rise and performance on the field was shocking to say the least.
Eleventh place at the World Cup, no medals in the 2006 Commonwealth and Asian Games and a failure to qualify for Olympics for the first time in the history of the games were some of the shockers that came the Indian Olympic Association's (IOA) in the past one year.
When Jothikumaran was caught on camera taking a bribe to induct a player into the team, the IOA had simply had enough.
Says IOA Chairperson, Suresh Kalmadi, "I have to straighten Indian hockey out. For that I will speak to IHF and other state units. We need to figure out what is to be done about hockey because it is our national game and national pride. And now, the Sports Minister has brought it back into priority and there will be a thumbs up for the sport."
However, there are indications that it will still not be smooth sailing for the IOA. Even under fire, Jothikumaran says the decision to suspend the IHF is illegal.
He was quoted by news agency PTI as saying: "Taking into account that I was not invited nor I was issued with a showcause notice and not having heard my stand on whatever the issues that they discussed today, the IOA's decision is illegal and the principal of natural justice has been violated."
It was at the residence of Suresh Kalmadi that the ouster of KPS Gill took place. While there is a sense of exhilaration in the hockey community, those close to the super cop say that he won't go down quietly and that this battle is not over yet.
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter and Google+)
displayed with permission. Use of the CNN name and/or logo on or as part of CNN-IBN does not derogate from the intellectual property rights of Cable News Network in respect of them.