Wrestlers Acted In Personal Interest To Malign Current Management: Federation

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Saturday officially responded to the Sports Ministry on the allegations of sexual misconduct by its coaches and president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The reply comes after the wrestlers' protest was called off early on Saturday after assurance by union sports minister Anurag Thakur than an oversight committee would look into their allegations and complete an investigation in four weeks. The minister had added that Brij Bhushan would step aside from his post in the WFI till the time the probe is completed.

"The manner and method of protestors/wrestlers to air their allegation by sitting at Dharna and also dong Press Conference certainly is part of deeper and larger conspiracy for vested interest either by putting pressure on some weak wrestlers for vested interest or for gaining ground for themselves by maligning and defaming the management of WFI or its President or the Coaches and not otherwise," the WFI wrote in a letter to the sports ministry.

"Not any single allegation of sexual harassment is accepted nor has ever been noticed nor found nor so far complained nor reported to sexual harassment committee to WFI, hence allegations to that effect is equally malicious and unfounded without being any truth in the matter except to come to public through media for making soft target to the prestige of the present management of the WFI as well as the sitting President of WFI."

The WFI added that it has always acted in the best interest of the sportspersons. "The WFI in particular under the sitting President (3rd time) WFI has always acted keeping the best interest of Wrestlers in mind alongwith the best interest of India i.e. National interest as well and under the sitting President,