“Handling Issue Sensitively, Players Important To Us”: Union Minister On Wrestlers

Mumbai:

Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday said that they are dealing with wrestlers’ protest against the Wrestling Federation of India’s president Brij Bhushan Singh “very sensitively” and that all the players are important to them.

“We are handling this issue (wrestlers protest) very sensitively. Whatever the players demanded, we are doing all those things. Necessary action will be also taken once Delhi police file the chargesheet. To all those politicising this issue, I would like to say that the law is equal for everyone and all the players are important to us,” said Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur in Mumbai during a function in Mumbai.

After prominent wrestlers came forward with allegations of sexual harassment against the WFI chief, earlier this year, Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur announced the formation of an oversight committee to probe allegations charges against him and some coaches.

Wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat have been protesting against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over sexual harassment allegations and are demanding his arrest.

Wrestling Federation of India assistant secretary Vinod Tomar is also named as an accused in the FIR filed in the matter.

Earlier, on April 24, the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports announced that the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) will form an ad hoc committee to conduct the elections to the Executive Committee of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) within 45 days of its formation, to manage day-to-day affairs of the body, including the selection of athletes and making entries for the participation of players in international events. This committee will be functioning for an interim period till a new Executive Committee takes charge.

“They asked for removing the WFI officials we did that, they asked for a committee of administrators and IOA formed a committee to investigate into the matter. They should wait for the investigation to complete,” added Anurag Thakur.

The movement has gained traction, with leading Opposition leaders also supporting the grapplers.

On Tuesday, Olympic medalist wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik alongwith Vinesh Phogat reached Uttarakhand’s Haridwar to immerse their all medals including Olympic ones in the river Ganga, as a mark of their protest.

But farmer leader Naresh Tikait intervened, stopped protesting wrestlers from immersing their medals in the Ganga, and said there would be a Khap meeting over the issue.

The wrestlers later issued a five-day ultimatum to the authorities to act against the WFI chief.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)