Sexual Harassment Allegations Against Wrestling Body Chief Could Not Be Proved: Report

No concrete evidence of sexual harassment has been found against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was accused of exploitation by the country's top wrestlers, it has been learnt. In an unprecedented move, top achievers such as Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik staged a sit-in protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar in January and accused the WFI boss of sexual exploitation and intimidation. The wrestlers had demanded that WFI be disbanded and its president be removed.

The Sports Ministry had formed a five-member oversight committee, headed by legendary boxer MC Mary Kom, on January 23 and asked it to submit its findings in one month.

Later, it extended the deadline by two weeks and also added Babita Phogat to the probe panel as its sixth member on the insistence of the protesting wrestlers.

The committee submitted its report in the first week of April but the ministry is yet to make its findings public.

However, multiple sources confirmed that the wrestlers could not prove the sexual harassment allegations against the WFI boss after several hearings.

"The wrestlers could not prove their sexual harassment allegations. During the probe, it was alleged that one female physio (name withheld) was asked by Brij Bhushan to give him massage to treat his back pain last year in Bulgaria during a competition. However, during the hearing, the same physio denied any such happening," a source told PTI on Thursday.

"Instead, she revealed that all Brij Bhushan wanted was a pain killer for headache and when she offered one, and was accompanied by a female coach at that time, the WFI boss even refused to take tablet 'disprin'.

"It was male coach Anil who had actually helped Brij Bhushan." WFI