The sports ministry of India has suspended all the ongoing activities of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) until further notice, following the protests by some of the top wrestlers who accused the federation’s president Brij Bhushan Singh of sexual harassment and financial irregularities.
The ministry announced the suspension on Saturday, January 21, 2023, after it decided to appoint an Oversight Committee to investigate the allegations raised by the athletes against Singh and his associates. The Oversight Committee will take over the day-to-day functioning of the WFI and ensure that all the complaints are enquired into and resolved in a transparent manner.
The suspension came after some of the prominent wrestlers, such as Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and Ravi Kumar Dahiya, staged a sit-in protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Friday, January 20, 2023. They demanded the arrest of Singh and other officials for their alleged involvement in sexual abuse, intimidation, harassment, and financial impropriety.
The protesters also returned their medals won at various national and international events in protest against the WFI’s failure to protect them from such malpractices. They claimed that they had faced discrimination, exploitation, and humiliation by some of their seniors at the WFI headquarters in New Delhi.
Singh has denied all the charges against him and his office. He said that he was being targeted by some vested interests who wanted to tarnish his image and reputation. He also said that he had full support from his loyal members and workers who were ready to face any legal action against him.
The WFI is one of the oldest and largest sports federations in India. It is responsible for organizing various wrestling events at national and international levels. It also supports and trains Indian wrestlers who participate in Olympic Games. However, it has been facing several controversies and challenges in recent years due to its poor governance, lack of transparency, corruption, mismanagement, and interference from external forces.
