Union Sports Ministry has suspended the new body of the Wrestling Federation of India after the recently elected president Sanjay Singh announced U-15 and U-20 nationals to take place in Nandini Nagar, Gonda (UP) before the end of this year, reported news agency ANI on Sunday. "We have not terminated WFI, they just need to follow due process and rules while functioning as a sports body," reported PTI quoting a source from the sports ministry.
Singh, a close associate of former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was elected as the president of the wrestling body on Wednesday said he is not aware of the details.
"I was in a flight and I don't know the details. I have not even received the letter. I will first take a look at the letter and then take a step. I don't want to make a comment right now," he said while responding to a media query on the development on Sunday.
Reacting to the development, wrestler Geeta Phogat said, "Even though it is late, a ray of hope has definitely arisen that the wrestlers will get justice!!!!"
Shortly after Singh's appointment to the wrestling body on Wednesday, top wrestler and Olympic champion Sakshi Malik announced that she has quit the sport after she, along with other wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat led prolonged protests earlier this year demanding a probe into allegations of sexual harassment against Brij Bhushan.
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"We slept for 40 days on the roads and a lot of people from several parts of the country came to support us. If Brij Bhushan Singh's business partner and a close aide is elected as the president of WFI, I quit wrestling," Malik said addressing a press conference.
A day later, Punia announced his decision to return his Padma Shri award in protest against Singh's appointment.
Addressing a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Punia expressed his concerns about the current state of wrestling governance in India.
In the letter, Punia said: "Punia stated, "The struggle lasted for 40 days. In these 40 days, one female wrestler retreated (from her accusation and the case). We were under immense pressure. Our protest site was dismantled, and we were restricted from demonstrating. When this happened, we were perplexed about our next steps. We thought of immersing our medals in river Ganga but our farmers and coaches urged us not to do so."