New Delhi: Slamming the wrestlers who resumed their protest against former chief of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accusing him of sexual harassment, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha said the protest on the streets is tarnishing India's image and it amounts to indiscipline. “Wrestlers staging protest on streets amounts to indiscipline. Wrestlers' protest on streets is tarnishing image of India," PT Usha said after IOA's Executive Committee meeting.
Star wrestlers, including World Championships medal winner Vinesh Phogat, and Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, have resumed their indefinite protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi from Sunday. They accused Brij Bhushan of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation.
Responding to PT Usha’s remark, Bajrang Punia said, “We did not expect such a harsh response from IOA President PT Usha, we expected support from her.”
It is to be noted that the IOA also instituted a three-member adhoc panel, including former shooter Suma Shirur, Wushu Association of India chief Bhupendra Singh Bajwa and headed by a yet-to-be-named retired high court judge, to run the affairs of the WFI until a new body is elected. Earlier in January, the IOA and the government had managed to placate the wrestlers with assurances to investigate their allegations against Sharan and the WFI after the protest first broke out.
According to the protesting wrestlers, they have learnt through media reports that Brij Bhushan Singh has been given a clean chit by the committee investigating into the allegations and the report of the panel is lying at the Ministry of Sports and despite requests it is not being made public.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that some kind of preliminary probe is needed before it can proceed with the registration of an FIR over sexual harassment allegations levelled by seven women wrestlers against Singh, PTI reported.