7-member IOA committee to probe into sexual harassment case

Indian Olympics Authority (IOA) on Friday said a committee including former athletes will probe the sexual harassment allegations against wrestling federation chief and some coaches. The committee will have a 7-member team including athletes like Mary Kom, Dola Banerjee, Alaknanda Ashok, Yogeshwar Dutt and Sahdev Yadav. The announcement came as some of India’s most celebrated wrestlers, who have been on protest for three days, met with Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, after the first round of talks last night failed to reach a breakthrough. Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has denied all charges and refused to step down. “If I speak, there will be a tsunami… I am not here because of someone’s charity. I have been elected by the people,” he told reporters in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda. Minister Anurag Thakur, who dialled Mr Singh and cautioned him against making any statement to media, had met the protesting wrestlers for four hours, between 10 pm and 2 am, without any headway yesterday. Ahead of the second meeting, the wrestlers sent a letter to PT Usha, head of the Indian Olympic body, seeking action against Singh. Saying they were fighting against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), Commonwealth Games gold medallist Bajrang Punia appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur to hear their demands. Several ace wrestlers of the country, including Sakshee Malikkh, Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Ravi Dahiya, are participating in the sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, which began on Wednesday. Wrestlers have levelled charges of sexual harassment of women wrestlers by the WFI president and its coaches and of mismanagement in the functioning of the federation. They have also demanded a complete overhaul of the federation. Meanwhile, WFI President, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh dismissed claims that he has spoken with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the matter and said that he will “expose the political controversy” behind the claims later today. Amid the ongoing protests by ace wrestlers of the country at Jantar Mantar in the national capital the WFI chief who is also the BJP Lok Sabha MP from Kaiserganj in Uttar Pradesh said that he said that he will hold a press conference in Gonda later on Friday. Talking to reporters, Singh stated that he has been elected president of the WFI and was not heading this federation by “the grace of some person.” Singh also refuted reports claiming that he had met with Amit Shah. “I am not heading this federation by the grace of any person, I am an elected head. I have not had a talk with anyone yet. I will address a press conference later today. 300 athletes from Haryana have arrived here,” Singh said.