World wrestling body threatens to ban WFI

As the issue of wrestlers' protest against the outgoing Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has further escalated, the United World Wrestling (UWW) on Tuesday (May 30) threatened to suspend India's wrestling body.

A day after Delhi Police was seen dragging Olympic and world champions Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and other wrestlers at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi, the world wrestling body condemned the action and said that if WFI fails to hold its election within the stipulated time, the federation would suspend it.

India's top wrestlers are protesting against Brij Bhushan Singh over sexual harassment allegations by women grapplers.

What the world wrestling body said

The UWW said that it has been following the situation in India where wrestlers are protesting over allegations of abuse and harassment by the WFI chief and urged the relevant authorities to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the allegations.

"The events of these last days are even more worrying that the wrestlers were arrested and temporarily detained by the police for initiating a march of protest. The site where they had been protesting for more than a month has also been cleared out by the authorities," UWW said in a statement.

"UWW firmly condemns the treatment and detention of the wrestlers. It expresses its disappointment over the lack of results of the investigations so far. As it has already done since the beginning of this situation, UWW will hold a meeting with the wrestlers to inquire about their condition and safety and reconfirm our support for a fair and just resolution of their concerns," the wrestling body said.

UWW issues statement on Wrestling Federation of Indiahttps://t.co/TyNfSX57qW

— United World Wrestling (@wrestling) May 30, 2023

Threat to ban WFI

The UWW said that the 45-day deadline that was initially set to hold the elective assembly shall be respected and that it will ban the national federation if it fails to hold the election on time.

"Failing to do so may lead UWW to suspend the federation, thereby forcing the athletes to compete under a neutral flag. It is reminded that UWW already took a measure in this situation by reallocating the Asian Championship planned in Delhi earlier this year," the UWW statement read.

India's sports ministry had asked the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to form an ad-hoc committee to conduct the elections for the Executive Committee of the WFI within 45 days of its formation. On April 27, a two-member committee was formed to run the day-to-day affairs of the wrestling body and also conduct the elections. It has been 33 days since then, leaving the body with just 12 days to hold the polls, reported PTI.

Why the wrestlers are protesting?

The wrestlers who have been protesting for over a month now are demanding the arrest of Brij Bhushan Singh for allegedly sexually harassing several women wrestlers, including a minor. The protests that first started in January, began again on April 23 when seven women wrestlers tried to file an FIR against Singh on April 21 for sexually harassing them since 2012.

The women have alleged that on at least four occasions, the harassment took place at Singh's office on Asoka Road, Delhi. The women have alleged that incidents of harassment continued even on the international tours.

The first protest was called off on January 23 after an Oversight Committee was set up to investigate the matter and it was to submit its findings within a month. But as no action was taken, the protesters said they felt that they felt betrayed.

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— Sakshee Malikkh (@SakshiMalik) May 30, 2023

Brij Bhushan Singh refutes all charges

Singh, who is also a BJP MP from Kaiserganj, has refuted the allegations that he sexually harassed women wrestlers. He said he would be ready to hang himself if he was found guilty. The calls for the arrest of Singh gained momentum ever since he has been named in two FIRs, which also includes a case registered against him under the non-bailable POCSO Act for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor girl.

Singh has also said that he would press for making changes in the POCSO law as it is being misused on a mass scale and said that "we would force the government to change it," India Today reported.

The wrestlers have demanded that Singh should undergo a narco test. He has agreed to it but has said that that even grapplers should also undergo the same test.

The latest in the case

On Monday (May 30), the protesting wrestlers posted an open letter on social media platforms saying they would immerse their medals in river Ganga as a mark of protest against Singh.

They had gone reach Har ki Pauri in Haridwar to immerse their medals in river Ganga. However, they were stopped by farmer leader Naresh Tikait as they sought ive days' time from them to resolve the issue. The wrestlers have vowed to return to Haridwar in five days if no action is taken against Singh.

Farmers' outfit Samyukta Kisan Morcha has called for nationwide protests on June 1 in support of wrestlers "to secure the democratic right to protest by the Indian wrestlers" and  to "demand the arrest of BJP MP Brij Bhushan Saran Singh".

Sports Minister responds: Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Wednesday (May 31) asked protesting wrestlers to be patient and trust the probe into allegations against Brij Bhushan Singh.

"The wrestlers should wait for Delhi Police to conclude their investigation and not take any steps that may cause harm to the sport or aspiring wrestlers. We all are in favour of the sport and sportspersons," ANI quoted Thakur as saying.