Staff Reporter
As top wrestler’s sit-in protest entered third day, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Friday called an emergency Executive Council meeting to discuss their demands. The Association also formed a seven-member committee to probe the allegations of sexual harassment against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
“Members are M.C. Mary Kom, Dola Banerjee, Alaknanda Ashok, Yogeshwar Dutt, Sahdev Yadav and two advocates,” the IOA said.
Meanwhile stung by criticism, BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is learnt to have written to the Union Sports Minister, on the allegations against him by a section of women wrestlers, who have been staging dharna in Delhi demanding his resignation as the president of the Wrestling Federation of India, since January Wednesday.
Brij Bhushan, who has been refusing to read the demands of his resignation as WFI president, cancelled his press conference on Friday evening.
However, MP’s son Prateek Bhushan Singh, who is an MLA interacted with the journalists saying that the decision will be taken only after the meeting of the Wrestling Federation of India slated for Sunday next in Ayodhya.
He also confirmed that his father had sent a reply on the issue to the Sports Ministry on Friday. He said, “My father will interact with the media only after the meeting of the Association.”
Meanwhile, the Indian Olympic Association (IOC) is also convening an emergency meeting on Saturday to discuss the issue.
On the other hand, around 6 wrestlers from Haryana boycotted the Open National Wrestling Championship, to be held in Gonda from Saturday. The 6 wrestlers, mostly boys, have left Gonda to join the ongoing dharna in New Delhi.
As the unprecedented show of player power continued for the third straight day against alleged violations by sports officials, the champion wrestlers, in a letter addressed to IOA president PT Usha complained that several young wrestlers have come to them with accounts of sexual harassment by the WFI president. They also raised charges of “financial misappropriation”, of Vinesh being “mentally tortured” by Singh after she failed to win a medal at the Tokyo Olympics, and of coaches and sports science staff in the national camp being “informants” of WFI chief rather than having any sporting credentials.
This was the first time in the last three days that the wrestlers put their allegations down in writing.
“We request IOA to immediately appoint a committee to enquire into the complaints of sexual harassment; resignation of WFI president and dissolution of WFI,” the letter said. It called for a new committee being formed to run the affairs of WFI “in consultation with the wrestlers”.
The letter led to IOA calling an urgent meeting of the executive council under its new president and track legend Usha. The meeting was also attended by Beijing Olympics gold medallist and International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Abhinav Bindra as a special invitee.
Some athletes from other fields lent their support to the wrestlers on Friday, with Olympic medallist boxer Vijender Singh, who is also a Congress leader, paying a visit but not sitting on the dais. Boxing world champion Nikhat Zareen, boxing CWG gold medallist Amit Panghal, and badminton star Jwala Gutta posted comments on social media backing their compatriots.
While Zareen and Gutta extended their support, Panghal said: “Exploitation of wrestlers is very unfortunate for game and country. With you all my fellow players.”