WFI elections postponed after latest row; Wrestlers seek FIR against Chief Brij Bhushan in SC

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections have been put on hold after the latest sequence of a row between the wrestlers and the federation. Top wrestlers including Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia addressed a press conference at Delhi's Jantar Mantar and demanded that the government takematters into its own hands over the public findings of the oversight panel that investigated sexual harassment allegations against the WFI chief. The wrestlers have also approached the Supreme Court of India for an FIR against WFI chief Brij Bhushan.

The elections which were originally set to be held on May 7 have now been postponed after the latest row that saw the wrestlers continue their agitation at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. While there is no clarity when the elections will take place, the wrestlers are holding out for their demands while they have also moved to the Supreme Court of India to for an FIR against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Singh Sharan.

As reported by IANS earlier, wrestlers present at Jantar Mantar revealed they even received threats after they tried lodging an FIR against the WFI chief at the Parliament Street Police station; however, the police refused to do so for reasons not known yet.

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"We are getting threats from several quarters, and after waiting for more than two months; we tried to file a complaint at the thana (police station), but the police officers shooed us away. We don't know what is happening here. We will start our protest again and sit on dharna (protest) at Jantar Mantar till our demands are met," the unnamed wrestler told IANS, as quoted by Times of India.

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Early this year, several women wrestlers came forward and protested at the Jantar Mantar against Brij Bhushan Singh for sexually harassing them in the past on a few occasions. The matter reached the Sports Ministry, who appointed an Oversight Committee under the chairmanship of veteran boxer MC Mary Kom to look into the matter and bring out the truth.

At that time Singh had said, “As I came to know that wrestlers had started protesting in Delhi, I didn't know what the allegation was about. I came to Delhi with a ticket.”

He added, "Regarding the allegation that Vinesh has made [of sexual exploitation], is there anyone coming forward with these allegations? Is there any athlete whose come forward with these allegations & said the Fed pres. has done some sort of sexual assault?" he said.

“It is alleged that the federation is acting like a dictator. Neither will you give trial, nor will you fight at the national level. The problem is when the federation makes the rules. These players, who are sitting on dharna today, not even a single one of them fought in the national,” Bhushan added.

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