NEW DELHI: The Union Sports Ministry on Saturday suspended the newly formed executive committee of the Wrestling Federation of India, noting that the new body is “in complete control of former office bearers”.
It would have been more apt really if the Sports Ministry had used the singular as the national federation operates under the writ of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh – the former WFI supremo and BJP strongman who has been accused of multiple counts of sexual harassment of female wrestlers.
In a related development, the Sports Ministry asked the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to form a temporary panel to run WFI.
In a letter to the IOA chief, the Sports Ministry said the temporary committee can manage and control the affairs of the WFI including selection of athletes.
“… Taking note of the compelling current situation arising out of the influence and control of the WFI’s former office bearers, serious concerns have arisen about the governance and integrity of the WFI,” said the letter signed by Tarun Pareek, undersecretary to the Centre.
“This requires for immediate and stringent corrective measures to uphold the principles of good governance in sports organisations, and thus, now it becomes incumbent on the part of the IOA to make suitable arrangements for the interim period for managing the affairs of WFI, so that sportspersons of wrestling discipline do not suffer in any manner and the principle of good governance is the sports body do not get jeopardised,” the Sports Ministry said in the letter.
The more than welcome decision on Saturday to suspend WFI came after the newly elected federation president – Brij Bhushan loyalist Sanjay Singh – brazenly announced that the Under-15 and Under-20 nationals will take place at Nandini Nagar in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda (Brij Bhushan’s turf) before the end of the year (emphasis ours), a move which the Sports Ministry called “hasty”.
For the record, Brij Bhushan is accused of sexually harassing no fewer than seven wrestlers. During their protracted protest in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, the wrestlers also said Brij Bhushan and his coterie had complete and authoritarian control over the running of the sport in India.
A statement released by the Sports Ministry, notes that Sanjay Singh has shown “blatant disregard for the established legal and procedural norms”.
Olympics Bronze medalist Sakshi Malik had, in the aftermath of the election of Singh and a panel packed with Brij Bhushan’s men, announced that she is giving up the sport in protest. This was followed by Olympian Bajrang Punia returning his Padma Shri award and Deaflympics gold medallist Virender Singh Yadav returning his medal.
On Friday, Sakshi had posed concerns voiced by junior wrestlers over the choice of location. “Gonda is the area of Brijbhushan. Now imagine in what environment the junior women wrestlers will go there to wrestle. Is there no place in this country to hold nationals other than Nandini Nagar?” Malik wrote on her social media handle.
The Sports Ministry, meanwhile, said the Gonda announcement did not give enough notice to wrestlers.
“This announcement is hasty, without giving sufficient notice to wrestlers who are to take part in the said nationals and without following the provisions of the constitution of WFI,” it said.
In addition to Sanjay Singh – who won in a 40-7 sweep against former Commonwealth Games gold medalist Anita Sheoran – 12 of the 15 posts in which elections were held were taken up by Brij Bhushan’s men.
Adding insult to injury on the ridiculous goings on of the federation, Brij Bhushan’s residence also doubles up as the WFI’s office.
“The business of the Federation is being run from the premises controlled by former office bearers (read Brij Bhushan)… Which is also alleged premises wherein sexual harassment of the players have been alleged and present the court is hearing the matter,” the Sports Ministry said.
After rounds of censure, in August, the WFI was banned by United World Wrestling, the global governing body of the sport, for failing to conduct its elections on time.
Speaking of UWW, its reaction to the latest developments at the tainted federation are awaited.
As for Sanjay Singh (read Brij Bhushan) and his “camp”, one can expect legal options to be accessed against the suspension of the WFI body.
