Wrestlers Line: Commonwealth Games gold medalist wrestler Babita Phogat has been included in the inspection committee probing allegations against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The committee constituted by the Sports Ministry is probing the WFI and its president into allegations of sexual harassment, intimidation, financial irregularities and administrative lapses. The committee is headed by veteran boxer MC Mary Kom.
The ministry issued a statement informing about the developments. “Former wrestler Babita Phogat has been included in the panel of monitoring committee constituted by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to handle the day-to-day administration of the Wrestling Federation of India,” the ministry said in a statement.
Earlier in the month, some of India’s top wrestlers including Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik protested against the WFI chief at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. After talking to sports minister Anurag ThakurAfter getting the assurance from the government, the wrestlers called off their strike. The ministry had also formed a panel to investigate the allegations of the wrestlers. The committee also includes former wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, former shuttler Trupti Murgunde, Radhika Sriman and former CEO of Target Olympic Podium Scheme Rajesh Rajagopalan. Earlier, wrestlers including Vinesh Phogat had said that the committee was formed without consulting them even after getting assurances that they would be consulted.
Forming the committee, Thakur said, ‘For the coming one month, the committee will investigate the allegations leveled by the wrestlers.’ Also, the Sports Minister had announced that the WFI president would step down till the probe was completed. Earlier, the Wrestling Federation of India had sent a reply to the Sports Ministry of India on the allegations against its President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The federation has rejected all the allegations leveled by the Indian wrestlers, including the allegation of sexual harassment against the body’s president Singh.
The WFI, in its reply to the Sports Ministry, said, “WFI is managed by an elected body as per its constitution, and therefore, there is no scope for arbitrariness and mismanagement of WFI by anyone, including the president personally.”