Indian Olympic Association to run day-to-day affairs of wrestling body till new body elections are held

Vinayak Padmadeo

New Delhi, April 24 

The sports ministry has decided to ask Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to run the daily affairs of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) amidst wrestlers protest.

The WFI has already announced that they will hold elections for the new body on May 7 and the IOA will now be tasked to hold a free-and-fair election.

Prominent wrestlers, including Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik, have restarted the protest against WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh alleging that no action has been taken against the BJP MP in alleged sexual harassment charges against him.

Before starting the sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar, the wrestlers filed a police complaint with the Connaught Place police station where in seven women wrestlers, including a minor girl, have alleged that Singh had sexually assaulted them.

The wrestlers have also alleged that the Delhi Police have not filed an FIR in their complaint.

This is the second time in three months that the wrestlers have returned to the dharna site seeking justice in the case.