Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Jan 21: Even as the wrestlers called off their sit-in agitation after getting an assurance from the union sports minister that their grievances would be addressed, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) rejected all their allegations including that of sexual harassment against its president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and claimed that the wrestlers’ protest was motivated by a “hidden agenda to dislodge the current management.”
The WFI denied all the charges in its response to the government’s notice and asserted that “there is no scope for arbitrariness and mismanagement” in the federation. The Sports Ministry had sought an explanation from WFI after the country’s top wrestlers sat on dharna and alleged that the federation chief sexually harassed women wrestlers and acts like a “dictator.”
The wrestlers called off their three-day old dharna at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar wrestlers called off their protest following the second round of meeting with union sports minister Anurag Thakur that ended after midnight on Saturday. The minister assured the wrestlers, which included big names like Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, World Championship medallist Vinesh Phogat, among others that investigation with regards to their allegations of sexual misconduct against WFI coaches and president Singh will be completed in four weeks. An oversight committee will be formed to investigate the allegations, Thakur added. WFI chief Brij Bhushan will step aside till the time the oversight committee completes its investigation.
“It has been decided that an oversight committee will be formed. Names for which will be announced tomorrow. The committee will complete its investigation within four weeks. The wrestlers put forward their demands. I have assured them that appropriate steps will be taken. All allegations of sexual harassment and financial misappropriation will be probed,” Thakur said in a press conference on Saturday. “Till the investigation is over, he (Singh) will step aside and co-operate with the investigation and the oversight committee will run the day-to-day affairs of WFI.”
Wrestler Bajrang Punia, who has been a leading figure in the protest, thanked Thakur for his prompt response. “We have received assurances from the respected minister. I thank you. We protested only as a last resort. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has really helped our game,” Punia said.
Earlier, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) formed a seven-member committee to probe wrestlers’ allegations of sexual harassment against Singh. Boxing great and Olympic medallist Mary Kom will be the chairman of the panel. Indian Weightlifting Federation of India (IWLF) president Sahdev Yadav, archer Dola Banerjee, Olympic medal winning wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt are part of the panel among others. The committee will also have two lawyers. The panel will first talk with the protesting wrestlers and then the WFI before reaching any conclusion.
Vinesh Phogat, the first Indian woman wrestler to win gold in both the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, on Wednesday had said that “national coaches molested female wrestlers over the years and were given death threats by WFI officials.” She along with other top Indian wrestlers sat a massive protest at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi from Wednesday where they called for the removal of the WFI president from the post.
The WFI sent its reply on Friday evening a few hours before the wrestlers called off their agitation on the government assurance for a probe. “The WFI is managed by an elected body as per its constitution, and therefore, there is no scope for arbitrariness and mismanagement in WFI by any one individually, including the president,” the WFI said in its response to the Sports Ministry.
“The WFI, in particular, under the sitting president has always acted keeping the best interests of wrestlers in mind. “The WFI has enhanced the image of wrestling sport nationally as well as internationally and for the record of this ministry, it is not possible without fair, supportive, clean and strict management of WFI,” it added.
The allegations were made by renowned wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Ravi Dahiya. The federation brought to the notice of the government that it has a five-member sexual harassment committee in place, chaired by its secretary-general V.N. Prasood and which also has Sakshi as a member.
Singh, who had earlier claimed the agitation by wrestlers was a “Congress conspiracy” against him, said the charges were “motivated, biased, unfounded, untrue and false” and that the allegations were made solely with a view to harm the president, the WFI and its coaches. “Any aggrieved person/wrestler may approach the said committee for its grievances if any, and the committee is bound to inquire as per law. However, no such complaint of any such nature as has been received from the protestors/wrestlers,” the WFI wrote.
The wrestlers, including young Anshu Malik, Sangeeta Phogat and Sonam Malik among others, started a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on January 18 and demanded the sacking of the WFI chief. The wrestlers also demanded that the WFI be disbanded immediately and a new panel is formed, including grapplers.
The WFI listed 23 national events conducted in 2022 and claimed it “speaks of fair, supportive, clean and strict management.” The WFI questioned the timing of the protest, and said vested interests are behind it.
“…Who have evidently acted more in personal interest or under undue pressure or under any bigger conspiracy to malign and defame the present management of the WFI or president for vested interest only. “The protesting wrestlers are accountable to explain for themselves, to the public as well as the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, particularly when mostly the protestors are seen coming together from a particulars region/state of Haryana,” the federation wrote.
“It would also be worth drawing attention that even the next election of WFI is due in near future of 2023… that the protest is not in the best interest of the wrestlers, it has some personal as well as hidden agenda to dislodge the current management of WFI.” The letter, signed by WFI secretary-general V.N. Prasood, also said the federation is ready to cooperate with the government and will provide all the necessary information the Ministry seeks.
Rio Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik, world championship medallist Sarita Mor, Sangeeta Phogat, Anshu Malik, Sonam Malik, Satyawart Malik, Jitender Kinha, Amit Dhankar and CWG medallist Sumit Malik were among the wrestlers who assembled at the famous protest site.
“It’s better to die once rather than slowly dying everyday. We are not able to sleep at night as we have no idea whether we are going to participate in the competition or not. Whether we will be going to the national camp or not. We doubt that these coaches and their supporters may spike our food and we may get positive during the doping test,” Vinesh Phogat had said.
“So we are worried about all these things. As the president Brij Bhushan ji was saying that he is innocent, I am telling you that we have sent numerous mails to him but he never replied to any of them. Now do we have to go to his room for each and everything?”
Vinesh, a world championship medallist and Olympian, also claimed that several coaches at a national camp in Lucknow have exploited women wrestlers, adding that there are a few women at the camp who approach wrestlers at the behest of the WFI President. “Some coaches are close to the national federations. Those coaches have exploited young girls. Don’t know how many young girls have suffered due to them,” Vinesh stated.
The 28-year-old though clarified that she herself has not faced such exploitation but claimed that she had received death threats at the behest of WFI president from officials close to him because she dared to draw Modi’s attention to several issues plaguing Indian wrestling when she met him after the Tokyo Games.
“I know at least 10-20 women wrestlers who have told me about the sexual exploitation they faced at the hands of (the) WFI President. They told me their stories. I can’t take their names now but I can definitely reveal the names if we get to meet the Prime Minister and the Home Minister of the country,” Vinesh said.
“I have received death threats from people who are close to the WFI President. If anything happens to any of us sitting here, only the WFI President will be responsible.”
