In a major blow to the newly elected members of Wrestling Federation of India, the Sports Ministry has suspended activities till further notice. This comes on the heels of Sanjay Singh, a loyalist of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the outgoing chief who has been accused of sexual harassment by India's leading wrestlers.
In a strongly-worded statement released on Sunday, the Ministry said the main reasons behind the suspension includes:
Taking decisions which were against the constitution of the WFI. .
Not following the National Sports Code.
The newly elected members being under complete control of the former office bearers.
Running the federation from the premises controlled by the former key members
Here's a detailed look at the charges and the actions that prompted it:
On the day he got elected as the new president of the federation, Sanjay Singh announced that U-15 and U-20 nationals will take place in Gonda, which is the bastion of former federation boss Brij Bhushan, before the end of this year. Having wrestling events in Gonda was one of the points raised in the wrestlers' complaints of sexual harassment.
The Sports Ministry has termed the announcement 'hasty' and said the federation did not give "sufficient notice to wrestlers who are to take part in the said nationals and without following the provisions of the constitution of WFI". The decision, which was taken in a meeting that did not involve the Secretary General, goes against the preamble of constitution of WFI and also against the UWW rules.
The Secretary General is Prem Chand Lochab, who was from the opposing Anita Sheoran's camp.
Further, the Ministry came down hard against the new body for still being under the influence of former members. The statement read, "Newly elected body appears to be in complete control of former office bearers in complete disregard to the Sports Code. The business of the Federation is being run from the premises controlled by former office bearers. Which is also alleged premises wherein sexual harassment of the players have been alleged and present the court is hearing the matter."
This points to the fact that the WFI office is located within Brij Bhushan's government-provided residence in Delhi's Ashoka Road.
The statement also added, "the newly elected executive body of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) demonstrate a blatant disregard for the established legal and procedural norms, violating both the WFI's constitutional provisions and the National Sports Development Code.
The Ministry also criticised complete arbitrariness on part of the new president, which is "against the settled principles of good governance and devoid of transparency and due process. Adherence to governance norms is vital for ensuring fair play, transparency and accountability."
Meanwhile, United World Wrestling, the international governing body of wrestling, is yet to lift the suspension of WFI.
When Singh was elected as the new president, Sakshi announced her retirement from the sport. "We fought from our heart but if a man like Brij Bhushan, his business partner and a close aide is elected as the president of WFI, I give up wrestling," Sakshi said.
Punia also returned his Padma Shri award, placing it on the pavement of Kartavya Path in New Delhi as a mark of protest.