Sexual harassment allegations against Brij Bhushan: Govt note silent on allegations, wrestlers to move SC for FIR

The ministry directed the IOA – the umbrella organisation for all Olympic sports – to make “suitable interim arrangements for managing WFI” and take charge of its day-to-day affairs.

It also declared the ongoing process for the WFI elections, scheduled to take place on May 7, as null and void, and directed the IOA to form an ad-hoc committee, which will be tasked with conducting the polls within 45 days of its formation.

In a tweet, Usha said the IOA will provide “actionable solutions to the current impasse in WFI” after its executive council meeting on April 27.

Late Monday, the Sports Ministry also despatched one of its senior officials – Sports Authority of India’s deputy director general Shiv Sharma – to the protest site to hold talks.

While the ministry switched to damage-control mode, the protesting wrestlers earlier in the day said they will move the Supreme Court, seeking registration of an FIR against Brij Bhushan. “We will approach the Supreme Court soon,” Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia said.

World championship medalist Vinesh Phogat said: “It has been three days since we filed police complaints but there has been no FIR yet. We have faith that we will get justice from the Supreme Court. All we ask for is a fair investigation.”

After first staging a sit-in protest in January, the wrestlers – including Olympic medalists Sakshi Malik and Bajrang apart from Vinesh – returned to Jantar Mantar Sunday, demanding action against Brij Bhushan. The athletes have filed police complaints against Brij Bhushan at Connaught Place Police Station, New Delhi, accusing him of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation.

It is learnt that the Delhi Police has sought a report from the Oversight Committee, which probed the wrestlers’ allegations, to investigate the charges against Brij Bhushan. “We will register an FIR once we have evidence and all the statements (of all parties) in the matter. An inquiry has been initiated and our officers approached the probe committee to give us inputs,” said a police officer.

The wrestlers, meanwhile, have insisted that they would not leave the protest site until their demands are met. They also targeted the government for not making public the probe committee’s report and claimed that their efforts to seek an update on the issues were being stonewalled.

In its letter to Usha, the Sports Ministry said the report of the Oversight Committee, headed by boxing legend M C Mary Kom, was “under examination”.

“However, preliminary scrutiny of the report has resulted in the following major findings:

• Absence of a duly constituted Internal Complaints Committee under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment Act, 2013, and lack of an adequate mechanism for awareness building among sportspersons, for grievance redressal, etc;
• Need for more transparency and consultation between the Federation and the stakeholders, including the sportspersons;
• Need for effective communication between the Federation and sportspersons.

The ministry also instructed the IOA that the ad hoc committee would be responsible for the “selection of athletes and making entries for the participation of sportspersons in international events for the interim period till the newly elected Executive Committee takes charge”.

The WFI elections were scheduled to take place on May 7. As per the Sports Code, Brij Bhushan was ineligible to contest for the post of president, having already completed three terms.