The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) to suspend all ongoing activities with immediate effect, unless the Oversight Committee is formally appointed and takes over the day to day functioning of WFI, said an order from the Union Sports Ministry on Saturday.
The development comes as a fallout of the grapplers' allegations of sexual harassment and corruption against the WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
"The Ministry of Sports has communicated to the Wrestling Federation of India on Saturday that in view of the Government's decision to appoint an Oversight Committee to investigate the various allegations raised by athletes against the Federation, WFI will suspend all ongoing activities with immediate effect, unless the Oversight Committee is formally appointed and takes over the day to day functioning of WFI," the ministry said in a statement.
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"In view of the direction to suspend all activities immediately, the Sports Ministry has asked WFI to also cancel the ongoing Ranking Tournament in Gonda, UP. The Ministry has directed WFI to return the entry fees charged to participants for the ongoing event," it added.
Noted wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and a number of other grapplers on January 18 staged a protest against the Wrestling Federation of the India (WFI). The 28-year-old Phogat alleged that Brij Bhushan Sharan had been harassing female wrestlers.
The protesting wrestlers have also accused the WFI of arbitrariness, mismanagement, misgovernance and bias in selection as harassment of wrestlers by its coaches and president.
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The aggrieved grapplers called off their protest after a long meeting with Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Friday night and getting assurances from the government that their grievances would be addressed.
Sports Ministry suspends WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar
In the latest development on the tussle between grapplers and Wrestling Federation of India, the Union Sports Ministry on Saturday suspended wrestling body's assistant secretary Vinod Tomar, saying that his presence will be detrimental to the development of the high priority discipline.
Tomar worked closely with the WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and looked after the day-to-day affairs of the federation.
"Shri Vinod Tomar has been engaged as Assistant Secretary wef 29.10.2002 by Wrestling Federation of India vide letter no. WFI/88/Asstt.Secretary/Legal/2002/2524 dated 28.10.2002 in terms of Ministry's circular member F.127/86-D-1 (SP dated 03.09.1988).
The Salary of Shri Vinod Tomar was being reimbursed to the WFI by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) from the funds allocated under the Scheme of Assistance to National Sports Federations," the ministry wrote in the order.
"The Ministry has taken note of the reports about the functioning of the WFI, including the role of Shri Vinod Tomar and has the reasons to believe that his continued presence will be detrimental to the development of this High Priority Discipline.
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"Therefore, in terms of the previous of the Sports Code 2022 (Annexure-IX) as contained in Ministry's Circular No.1-27/86-D.I (SP) dated 3.9.1988 (para 2.7, 3.2 and 4), the Ministry has decided to suspend Shr Vinod Tomar, Assistant Secretary, WFI forthwith, and accordingly, the Sports Authority of India is directed to convey this decision to WFI immediately," the letter read.
Noted wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and a number of other grapplers on January 18 staged a protest against the Wrestling Federation of the India (WFI). The 28-year-old Phogat alleged that Brij Bhushan Sharan had been harassing female wrestlers.
