WFI ie Wrestling Federation of India The country’s top wrestlers have taken to the streets and are protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar after WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was accused of sexual harassment.
Veteran wrestlers of the country, including wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Milak, Anshu Malik and Ravi Dahiya, are demanding immediate dissolution of the WFI i.e. Wrestling Federation of India from the Sports Ministry and action against the President of the Wrestling Federation.
Wrestlers also had a conversation with Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday, but the meeting turned out to be inconclusive. Even today the wrestlers are likely to hold talks with the Sports Minister. At the same time, Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, President and MP of Wrestling Federation of India, is also going to hold a press conference at 4 pm today. So let’s know all the special updates related to Wrestler vs Wrestling Federation of India riot.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has called an emergency meeting on Friday at 5:45 pm to discuss the issues of the protesting wrestlers.
Bajrang Punia said, ‘Our fight is not with the government. We all are fighting against the players’ federation and its president. No political party should do politics on this movement of ours.
Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur has been at his residence since morning to meet top Indian wrestlers, but no one turned up to meet him. To solve the problem, the Union Minister held a meeting with the officials of the Sports Ministry on Friday, in which DG Sai was also present. On the other hand, sources are telling that the wrestlers were supposed to come to meet but have not come yet because their demands are not being fulfilled.
On the third day of the protest against the Wrestling Federation of India, Bajrang Punia said at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, ‘We are waiting for Brijbhushan Sharan Singh to come forward. We have come here risking our careers. This fight is for our young wrestlers who are the future of wrestling.
Olympian wrestler Bajrang Punia said, ‘We are sad that athletes have to leave their practice and sit here in protest. Our fight is only with the Wrestling Federation of India. We appeal to the Prime Minister, Home Minister and Union Sports Ministry to listen to our demands. The WFI president gave a political twist to this fight.
After meeting the Sports Minister, wrestler Bajrang Punia said that Anurag Thakur has assured that justice will be done to us.
The protesting wrestlers have written a letter to the Indian Olympic Association and have placed four main demands, including the removal of Braj Bhushan Sharan. On behalf of the wrestlers, Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Ravi Dahiya and Deepak Punia have raised the issue of sexual harassment and exploitation of the players by writing a letter to the President of the Indian Olympic Association, PT Usha. The wrestlers put four demands before the Olympic Association.
1. A committee should be constituted on the complaint of sexual harassment
2. Resignation should be taken from the President of Wrestling Federation
3. Wrestling Federation should be dissolved
4. To run the wrestling federation, a new committee should be constituted under the supervision of the wrestlers.
Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Ravi Dahiya and Deepak Punia have written to Indian Olympic Association President PT Usha over complaints of alleged sexual harassment against Wrestling Federation of India President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The protesting wrestlers have requested the IOA to appoint a committee to probe the complaints of sexual harassment against the WFI president.
In the wrestler sexual abuse case, the source said that the government is ready for the metamorphosis of the Wrestling Federation of India. Considering shifting the training centers to Delhi.
Sources said that on the allegations of Indian wrestlers, the Wrestling Federation of India will send its reply to the Sports Ministry by 3 pm today.
Wrestling Association President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has spoken to Home Minister Amit Shah and he has told the Home Minister his side on the allegation of the wrestlers.
There has been a change in the PC time of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, President of Wrestling Federation of India. Wrestling Association President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh will now hold a press conference at 4:00 pm. WFI chief Brij Bhushan Singh said, will ‘expose the political conspiracy’ in the press conference today.
-WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh Thursday Reached Gonda late night by road from Delhi. at his Nawabganj residence Huh. The meeting of the federation is on January 22 and it is likely to be held in Ayodhya. It is believed that after this meeting it will be clear whether the WFI chief will resign or not. Brij Bhushayan Sharan Singh has been a firebrand Hindutva poster boy. He was also accused of the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992, but was later acquitted.
Today the players will show their strength at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. It is being told that all the wrestlers of the country will gather in some time. At present, a large number of police have been deployed at Jantar Mantar.
If sources are to be believed, Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur will hold a second round of meeting with the wrestlers sitting on strike at 10:15 am today.
Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh will hold a press conference today at 12 noon at the Wrestling Training Center in Nawabganj, Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh and present his stand on the allegations of the wrestlers.
If sources are to be believed, the protesting wrestlers will have talks with Sports Minister Anurag Thakur even today. It is believed that even now there are many such issues, which have not been resolved in the meeting.
In fact, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur kept trying to end the deadlock till late Thursday night amidst the demand of the country’s top wrestlers to dissolve the Indian Wrestling Federation with immediate effect. Several Indian wrestlers, including Olympic medalists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, World Championship medalist Vinesh Phogat, have been staging a sit-in at Jantar Mantar here for the past two days alleging sexual harassment and threats against WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Protesting wrestlers including Vinesh, Bajrang, Sakshi, Anshu Malik, Ravi Dahiya, Sarita Mor met Thakur at his residence on Thursday night and demanded immediate action. The meeting between the two sides continued till late night in which both the sides have so far failed to find any concrete solution.
According to sources, the government wants the wrestlers to end their protest but the players are adamant that the WFI should be dissolved first. A source close to the wrestlers said, “The government can sort out other issues later…but it should first dissolve the WFI.” Three-time Commonwealth Games medalist and BJP leader Babita Phogat on Thursday became the ‘messenger’ of the government and assured the fulfillment of their demands to the wrestlers sitting on the dharna, who are demanding the dissolution of the Wrestling Federation of India.
The wrestlers’ team, which included three-time Commonwealth champion Vinesh Phogat and Olympic bronze medalist Bajrang Punia, and Sakshi Malik and her husband Satyavrat Kandyan, were then called for a meeting with the government.
All of them also discussed their issues with Sports Secretary Sujata Chaturvedi, Director General of Sports Authority of India Sandeep Pradhan and Joint Secretary (Sports) Kunal. In an hour-long meeting, the wrestlers were asked to end their protest and assured that their grievances would be resolved.
Meanwhile, WFI is yet to respond to the ministry’s demand for clarification within 72 hours, adding to the skepticism. The ministry, however, cannot force Brij Bhushan to resign until it gets a written reply as the government itself has sought clarification from the WFI.