Indian wrestling: Sports Ministry and Olympic Association to investigate allegations of sexual harassment against senior official

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New Delhi CNN—

India’s sports ministry said on Friday it would investigate allegations of sexual harassment against the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur has announced the formation of a watchdog committee to look into the allegations following a meeting with several prominent wrestlers demanding an investigation.

The wrestlers have been protesting for three days in the Indian capital of New Delhi and have called for the dismissal of WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and the dissolution of the WFI.

The WFI has denied all the allegations.

Olympic wrestler Vinesh Phogat and four others said they were speaking on behalf of the accusers to protect their identities and did not release details of the young wrestlers’ charges.

Sports Minister Thakur told a joint press conference alongside the wrestlers in the capital New Delhi that the serious allegations, be it accusations of financial irregularities or accusations of sexual harassment, will be examined.

The committee will see all day-to-day work until the investigation is completed, and until then, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh will stand down and cooperate with the investigation, the minister added.

Thakurs’ announcement came after a second round of talks between the minister and the wrestlers.

The committee has four weeks to complete the investigation, Thakur said.

He added that the names of the oversight committee would be announced on Saturday.

Welcoming the announcement, Olympic wrestler Bajrang Punia, who attended the meeting, said: “The union sports minister listened to our demands and assured us that a proper investigation would be carried out. I thank him and we hope that a fair investigation will be carried out, which is why we are canceling the demonstration.

Meanwhile, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) will also set up a seven-member panel to investigate the allegations against Singh, according to CNN affiliate CNN News 18.

We will ensure a full investigation to ensure justice, IOA President PT Usha tweeted on Friday, urging athletes to come forward and voice their concerns.

Several Indian wrestlers had written to the IOA, demanding the formation of a commission of inquiry to investigate the allegations.

In a letter to the IOA President and shared on Twitter, five wrestlers claim that several young wrestlers have filed sexual harassment complaints against the WFI President.

CNN contacted WFI for comment and Vinod Tomar, the federation’s deputy secretary, denied all accusations.

An investigation is ongoing, Tomar added. These are only allegations and they have yet to be proven.

CNN also reached out to WFI Chairman Singh and his office declined to comment at the time.

The head of WFI had scheduled a press conference on Friday, but he didn’t show up. Instead, his son Pratik Bhushan Singh told reporters: We have delivered our official statement to the Ministry of Sports.

The WFI chief also postponed a press conference scheduled for Sunday until further notice.

In the letter to the IOA, Phogat and his fellow wrestlers said it took a lot of courage for the wrestlers to come together and file their complaints against Singh, who is a member of Indian Parliament from the ruling Bharatiya Janata party.

We fear for our lives, they added.

Phogat, the first Indian female wrestler to win gold at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, tweeted on Wednesday, Players want self respect, adding that if the federation does not support them, morale plummets .

In a statement on Twitter, politician Babita Kumari Phogat, a former wrestler and three-time Commonwealth Games medalist, said she stood with her fellow wrestlers.

I am with my players in this fight. “I have full confidence in the government that it will do justice to the sportsmen of the country who are raising the honor of the country in the world,” she said.

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