Agreeing to one of many key calls for of the wrestlers protesting since Wednesday afternoon, the Indian Olympic Affiliation (IOA) Friday introduced the formation of a seven-member committee to probe the allegations of sexual harassment in opposition to Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
This got here hours after the core group protesters, World Championship medallists Vinesh Phogat, Deepak Punia and Olympics podium finishers Ravi Dahiya, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, wrote to IOA’s president PT Usha, asking for motion in opposition to Singh and the federation.
The IOA, in an announcement, mentioned that following its govt committee assembly, it was determined to kind committee in “accordance with the prevention of sexual harassment of girls act of 2013” that might hear each side and submit report on the earliest. IOA members together with Olympians boxer Mary Kom, archer Dola Banerjee and wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt had been named within the probe panel.
However the IOA, just like the Sports activities Ministry, was silent on different calls for raised: resignation of Singh and dissolution of WFI.
The wrestlers, for the second successive day, had been concerned in discussions with Sports activities Minister Anurag Thakur. Till late within the night time, neither facet had launched any communication in regards to the talks.
The IOA’s announcement assumes significance given that it’s the umbrella organisation of all nationwide federations of Olympics sports activities. The Sports activities Ministry funds the actions of federations and grants them recognition. The IOA and Sports activities Ministry, subsequently, work in tandem to facilitate the participation of Indian athletes in multi-discipline sporting occasions.
Whereas Singh was given 72 hours, till Saturday night, to reply; he remained agency. Chatting with The Indian Categorical, he alleged a bigger plot. He mentioned he had responded Friday to the discover he had obtained from the Union Ministry.
“I’ve clarified every thing they wished me to. I’ve denied all allegations made by protesters,” he mentioned. He added that he had referred to as a Normal Physique assembly of the federation in Ayodhya on January 22.
In the meantime, at the same time as protesting wrestlers upped the ante, officers mentioned their demand for “instantaneous justice” needed to be balanced with the Ministry’s imperatives of due course of.
The 2 distinguished faces of the protest, wrestler Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik, dug their heels in and threatened to observe on mats at their protest venue at Jantar Mantar from Saturday if sports activities minister Anurag Thakur doesn’t settle for their calls for.
The worldwide physique, United World Wrestling, too has reacted to the protest. In an electronic mail to The Indian Categorical, UWW’s communications director Gordon Templeman mentioned:
“UWW has discovered with nice concern by way of the media about these severe allegations. We’ll carefully comply with the instances and can take any vital measures which are warranted by the end result of the investigations. We have now contacted the federation, in addition to made efforts to contact athletes straight to raised perceive the scenario.”
The wrestlers’ letter to the IOA mentions that Vinesh was “mentally harassed” and “tortured” by the WFI president after she returned from the Tokyo Olympics with no medal, which resulted in her “ponder suicide”.
Together with the sexual harassment criticism, the wrestlers blamed WFI of economic misappropriation of funds and claimed that the coaches and sports activities science workers on the Nationwide camp are “completely incompetent”.
Of their letter, the athletes wrote: “It has taken plenty of braveness for us wrestlers to return collectively and protest in opposition to the WFI President. We worry for our lives. If he isn’t sacked then the careers of all of the younger who joined the dharna shall be over.” They ended the letter saying: “We won’t budge till the WFI President is sacked.