After getting assurances that their grievances could be addressed, wrestlers referred to as off their protest following the second spherical of assembly with union sports activities minister Anurag Thakur that ended after midnight on Saturday. The minister assured the wrestlers, which included massive names like Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, World Championship medallist Vinesh Phogat, amongst others that investigation with reference to their allegations of sexual misconduct in opposition to Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) coaches and president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh will likely be accomplished in 4 weeks. An oversight committee will likely be fashioned to analyze the allegations, Thakur added. WFI chief Brij Bhushan will step apart until the time the oversight committee completes its investigation.
“It has been decided that an oversight committee will be formed. Names for which will be announced tomorrow. The committee will complete its investigation within four weeks. The wrestlers put forward their demands. I have assured them that appropriate steps will be taken. All allegations of sexual harassment and financial misappropriation will be probed,” Thakur mentioned in a press convention on Saturday.
“Till the investigation is over, he (Singh) will step aside and co-operate with the investigation and the oversight committee will run the day-to-day affairs of WFI.”
Wrestler Bajrang Punia, who has been a number one determine within the protest, thanked Thakur for his immediate response. “We have received assurances from the respected minister. I thank you. We protested only as a last resort. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has really helped our game,” Punia mentioned.
IOA varieties probe panel too
Earlier, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) fashioned a seven-member committee to probe wrestlers’ allegations of sexual harassment in opposition to federation president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Boxing nice and Olympic medallist Mary Kom would be the chairman of the panel. Indian Weightlifting Federation of India (IWLF) president Sahdev Yadav, archer Dola Banerjee, Olympic medal profitable wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt are a part of the panel amongst others. The committee may even have two legal professionals. The panel will first discuss with the protesting wrestlers after which the WFI earlier than reaching any conclusion.
Vinesh Phogat, the primary Indian lady wrestler to win gold in each the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, on Wednesday had mentioned that “national coaches molested female wrestlers over the years and were given death threats by WFI officials.” She together with different high Indian wrestlers sat a large protest on the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi from Wednesday the place they referred to as for the removing of the WFI president from the put up.
Wrestlers’ calls for
Rio Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik, world championship medallist Sarita Mor, Sangeeta Phogat, Anshu Malik, Sonam Malik, Satyawart Malik, Jitender Kinha, Amit Dhankar and CWG medallist Sumit Malik have been among the many wrestlers who assembled on the well-known protest website.
“It’s better to die once rather than slowly dying everyday. We are not able to sleep at night as we have no idea whether we are going to participate in the competition or not. Whether we will be going to the national camp or not. We doubt that these coaches and their supporters may spike our food and we may get positive during the doping test,” Vinesh Phogat earlier advised NDTV.
“So we are worried about all these things. As the president Brij Bhushan ji was saying that he is innocent, I am telling you that we have sent numerous mails to him but he never replied to any of them. Now do we have to go to his room for each and everything?”
Vinesh, a world championship medallist and Olympian, additionally claimed that a number of coaches at a nationwide camp in Lucknow have exploited ladies wrestlers, including that there are a couple of ladies on the camp who method wrestlers on the behest of the WFI President.
“Some coaches are close to the national federations. Those coaches have exploited young girls. Don’t know how many young girls have suffered due to them,” Vinesh said.
The 28-year-old although clarified that she herself has not confronted such exploitation however claimed that she had acquired loss of life threats on the behest of WFI president from officers near him as a result of she dared to attract Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s consideration to a number of points plaguing Indian wrestling when she met him after the Tokyo Games.
“I know at least 10-20 women wrestlers who have told me about the sexual exploitation they faced at the hands of (the) WFI President. They told me their stories. I can’t take their names now but I can definitely reveal the names if we get to meet the Prime Minister and the Home Minister of the country,” Vinesh mentioned.
“I have received death threats from people who are close to the WFI President. If anything happens to any of us sitting here, only the WFI President will be responsible.”
Sitting beside Vinesh, Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang Punia mentioned the federation is being run in an arbitrary method and they won’t compete in any worldwide competitors except the WFI President is eliminated. “Our fight is not against the government or the Sports Authority of India (SAI). This is against WFI. ‘Yeh ab aar paar ki ladai hai’ (It’s a fight to the finish). We will continue this protest until WFI President is removed,” Bajrang Punia advised information company PTI.
With PTI inputs
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