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During this period, an oversight committee — to be announced on Saturday — will probe allegations of sexual harassment and financial impropriety against Singh and also run the day-to-day affairs of the federation. Sources said the panel will likely have threeeminent ex-sportspersons, two of them female athletes.
“The oversight committee will have a time frame of four weeks to give its report. Till the time the committee is in existence, WFI president Brij Bhushan Singh will step aside. He will assist the panel in its investigation,” Thakur said. Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia, one of the leading protesters, said, “We have full faith in the committee as announced by the minister. We are happy that a probe has been announced. We are calling off our protest for now. ”
Watch: Boxer Vijender Singh joins protesting wrestlers at Jantar Mantar
Earlier in the day, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) also formed a seven-member committee on Friday, headed by six-time world boxing champion M C Mary Kom, to probe allegation s of sexual harassment against.
Meanwhile in UP’s Gonda, Singh, who is the Kaiserganj MP, cancelled his much-anticipated press conference after three postponements on Friday. He, however, ruled out his resignation during a casual chat with the media earlier in the day and claimed thathis “revelations would trigger a tsunami”.
‘BJP MP and national coaches sexually assaulted women wrestlers’, players may file FIR against WFI chief
No time frame has been set fo r the committee to submit its report to IOA president PT Usha and its executive council (EC).
The IOA said it had no authority to dissolve the WFI as demanded by the wrestlers, as it can be done only by the sport’s global governing body – United World Wrestling – following an independent inquiry. The IOA can, of course, terminate WFI’s membership as i ts affiliated unit. WFI chief Singh said he was not pulling any strings to stay put on the post but ruled out his resignation.
“I have not spoken to anybody in Delhi. No talks have happen ed with Amit Shah. Why shall I resign? I will hold a presser in the evening,” said Singh.
“The protest by wrestlers against me is the dharna of Shaheen Bagh,” Singh said, adding that it was an “a ttack on BJP” orchestrated by Congress.
WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh calls off press meet as pressure mounts on him
Speaking to a TV channel, he said, “The protesting players have become toys in the hands of Congress and Deepinder Hooda… The picture becomes clearer with the tweets and statements by Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Deepinder Hooda. This attack is not only on me, but on the Bharatiya Janata Party through me,” Singh had said. Singh’s son Prateek Bhushan, a BJP MLA from Gonda, said later in the evening that the WFI chief will issue a statement about the allegations on January 22, after the annua l general meet of the federation. In IOA’s panel, apart from IOA athletes commission chairperson Mary Kom, the other panel members include IOA joint secretary Alaknanda Ashok, Yo geshwar Dutt, Dola Banerjee, IOA treasurer Sahdev Yadav and one male and female lawyer. Abhinav Bindra joined the IOA’s emergency council’s virtual meeting on Friday as an athletes’ commission member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The members have been tasked to hold dialogues with the agitating wrestlers and investigate the charges of sexual harassment and intimida tion against Singh. The members will meet the alleged victims of harassment if the protesting wrestlers wish to share their names with the committee in strict confidentiality.
The EC mem bers expressed their unhappiness over the way the wrestlers went public with their grievances instead of first discussing it with the sports ministry, IOA and the Sports Authority of India (SAI). The members are also not pleased with the timing of the protest – organised just two months before the WFI elections are scheduled in March.
Watch: Why this old video of BJP MP and President of Wrestling Federation Brij Bhushan Sharan going viral again
Earlier in the day, the wrestlers had written a detailed letter to Usha reiterating their demand for Singh’s sacking and a thorough probe into the allegations of sexual misconduct. In the letter, signed jointly by Bajrang, Sakshi, Vin esh, Ravi and Deepak, the wrestlers informed Usha they feared for their lives and that if Singh wasn’t sacked, the careers of young grapplers sitting on dharna with them for the third consecut ive day at Jantar Mantar would be finished.
“It has taken a lot of courage for us to come together and protest against the WFI president. We fear for our lives. Vinesh was mentally h arassed and tortured by the WFI president after she missed out on an Olympic medal in Tokyo. She contemplated suicide,” the letter stated. “We will not budge until the WFI president i s sacked. We want to reiterate that contrary to perception, there is no political party or industrialist’s involvement (in the protest),” it added.
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