While the Union Sports Ministry has yet to release the findings of the Oversight Committee investigation into claims of sexual harassment against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and other officials, the federation has announced competitions in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, and is preparing for a potential election in May.
The protesting wrestlers, who criticised the ministry and questioned the ‘fairness’ of the investigation, were taken aback by this development.
A meeting of all 28 units of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) is reportedly going to be held in Nandini Nagar in Gonda during the U-17 national championships and Senior Open National Ranking Wrestling Tournament, scheduled from April 16-18. This location is a stronghold of the current WFI President Brij Bhushan Singh, who is set to complete his third term in office this month and is not eligible to contest again as per the National Sports Code provisions. WFI officials believe that Singh may even chair the meeting. The WFI is planning to conduct the elections in New Delhi in the second week of May.
A WFI official stated on condition of anonymity that the Annual General Meeting (AGM), which was canceled in January 2021 due to government directives, will be held now as there are important matters to discuss, including the elections. When asked whether Singh would chair the meeting, the official replied that the WFI would take legal opinion on the issue. If Singh is not available, the senior vice-president will preside.
In response to queries about the status of the Oversight Committee’s report, there was no response from the sports ministry on Monday. The six-member Oversight Committee headed by boxer MC Mary Kom submitted its report in the first week of April, but the ministry has not yet released the findings. The panel was formed following protests by India’s top wrestlers, including Olympic and world medallists, who accused Brij Bhushan and some WFI officials of sexual harassment. The panel was initially given four weeks to complete the probe and run WFI’s day-to-day affairs. It was formed on January 23, and its term was later extended by two weeks. WFI officials resumed their roles at the start of April. It is believed that 15 women wrestlers deposed before the committee.
According to another senior WFI functionary, the federation has cooperated with the Oversight Committee and followed all the directions of the ministry. WFI has resumed its functioning, including communication with the world governing body, United World Wrestling (UWW), after the ministry instructed it to stop all activities for six weeks.
Bajrang Punia, an Olympic medallist, who was among the wrestlers who protested, expressed surprise at the resumption of work by WFI officials. Punia, along with other wrestlers such as Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Ravi Dahiya, and Deepak Punia, among others, protested against the sexual harassment allegations. Punia asked how the WFI could start its functioning normally when the committee’s report had not yet been released. One member of the committee has reportedly signed the report with objections. The wrestlers are seeking justice, and they do not want wrestling to suffer.
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