Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Mar 20: A senior Indian Navy officer has raised concerns over the selection process for the upcoming Asian Boxing Championships in Ulaanbaatar, questioning the inclusion of an Army boxer over a Navy pugilist in the national squad.

The 10-member Indian team for the March 28–April 11 event in Ulaanbaatar features nine boxers from the Army, while the remaining athlete is from Rajasthan. In the 70-kg category, Navy boxer Hitesh Gulia missed out, with the spot going to Army’s Deepak.

In a letter addressed to Sports Secretary Hari Ranjan Rao, a Vice Admiral handling personnel matters alleged that the selection committee appointed by the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) included two members from the “same organisation whose athletes were competing,” raising concerns of conflict of interest and lack of neutrality.

The officer pointed out that Gulia had defeated Deepak at the Inter-Services Championship last year as well as at the 2026 National Championships.

“Despite this demonstrated superiority and international medal record, Gulia has been placed below Deepak,” the letter stated. It further criticised the process, citing lack of open selection trials and absence of accessible video recordings of bouts.

Dismissing the allegations, BFI Executive Director Colonel Arun Malik said no serving Army personnel were part of the selection panel, except men’s head coach CA Kuttappa, who he noted had retired years ago.

“You can’t say that if the coach is from the Army, we can’t include him in the selection committee,” Malik said, adding that Kuttappa has also worked with Olympic medallist Vijender Singh.

Malik maintained that selections were based on performance during assessment camps. “Deepak outperformed everyone in sparring sessions in this weight category,” he said, adding that the federation has no interest in selecting sub-standard athletes.

The Navy officer has urged the Sports Ministry to review the selection process, stressing that performances in national and international competitions, along with head-to-head records, should be given due weightage.

He also referred to the selection approach ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, noting that India returned without a boxing medal.

In its defence, the BFI said all bouts were recorded and shared with the Sports Authority of India, though such footage is not typically provided to athletes or their camps.

It also clarified that sparring sessions during assessment are not competitive bouts but part of a structured evaluation framework. “The purpose is not to declare winners or losers, but to assess athletes across multiple performance parameters,” the federation said.

The controversy has once again brought scrutiny to selection transparency in Indian boxing ahead of a major continental event.