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Business News/ News / India/  Protesting wrestlers have 'personal, hidden agenda' to malign WFI, claims federation
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Protesting wrestlers have 'personal, hidden agenda' to malign WFI, claims federation

According to the federation, protesters have acted more in personal interest or under undue pressure to malign and defame present sitting management

Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia and other Indian wrestlers take part in a protest demanding the disbandment of the WFI and the investigation of its head by the police, who they accuse of sexually harassing female players, at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. (REUTERS)Premium
Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia and other Indian wrestlers take part in a protest demanding the disbandment of the WFI and the investigation of its head by the police, who they accuse of sexually harassing female players, at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. (REUTERS)

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has denied all allegation, including the sexual harassment charge levelled against its president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in a written response to the Ministry of sports. The federation released a statement claiming that "there is no room for arbitrary decision-making and mismanagement" within the sporting organisation.

Posing question on the cause behind the protest WFI said that the, “protest has some personal as well as hidden agenda to dislodge current management of WFI."

The federation went on to say, “Protesters have acted more in personal interest or under undue pressure to malign and defame present sitting management of WFI."

Defending the current administration and WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh the federation stated, “The WFI is managed by an elected body as per its constitution, and therefore, there is no scope for arbitrariness and mismanagement in WFI by any one individually, including the president"

"The WFI has improved the image of wrestling sport nationally and internationally," it continued.

Supporting the argument of fair management the federation also stated, "For the record of this ministry, it is not possible without fair, supportive, clean, and strict management of WFI."

The sports ministry had asked the WFI to respond to the accusations within 72 hours, and the WFI did so on Friday night.

Earlier, the WFI president Singh had referred to the demonstration by the top wrestlers as the "dharna of Shaheen Bagh" and reaffirmed that he won't quit from the post.

The protest was started in response to serious allegations of sexual harassment made by several female wrestlers against the WFI president and coaches, as well as allegations of poor management of the federation's operations.

A seven-member committee was formed by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to look into the allegations against Singh after the wrestlers wrote to IOA president P T Usha.

Olympic medallist Mary Kom, former archer Dola Banerjee, Alaknanda Ashok, Yogeshwar Dutt, Indian Weightlifting Federation President Sahdev Yadav, and two advocates are among the committee's members, according to the IOA's announcement on Friday.

(With inputs from PTI)

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Published: 21 Jan 2023, 04:36 PM IST
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