oppn parties WFI: Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh Must Go

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  • Two killed in Delhi building collapse; contractor booked. Two bodies were recovered after a building collapsed in Chawri Bazaar. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the contractor had been booked and the concerned junior and assistant engineers suspended
  • Uttar Pradesh voter rolls show a 2.4-crore discrepancy. A difference of approximately 2.4 crore names has been reported between the state's panchayat and rural Assembly voter lists. The Election Commission has ordered the two sets of rolls to be matched
  • Gujarat announces 3% dearness allowance hike. The state government announced a three-percentage-point increase in dearness allowance for government employees and pensioners ahead of Diwali
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  • The Supreme Court issued notice to the Centre and the Election Commission on a petition challenging Section 16 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, which grants the CEC and Election Commissioners protection from legal proceedings for acts performed in their official duties. The petition argues that such blanket immunity could leave citizens without an effective remedy for alleged wrongdoing by the Commission
  • The Supreme Court told voters whose names were deleted from Delhi's draft electoral rolls not to be apprehensive about seeking re-enrolment through Form 6, after the Election Commission assured it that such applicants would not be prosecuted merely because their names had appeared in earlier rolls
  • Congress leader Rahul Gandhi opened the party's campaign for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections with an Insaaf rally in Sangrur, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's home district, accusing the AAP government of failing to control drugs, gangster violence and corruption. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge outlined six commitments, including a drug-free Punjab, protection of farmers, employment for young people and action against corruption
  • Rahul Gandhi accused the AAP government of running Punjab through a remote control from Delhi and questioned Bhagwant Mann's ability to tackle drug abuse, making personal allegations about the Chief Minister's conduct during their time together in Parliament
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WFI: Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh Must Go

By Our Editorial Team
First publised on 2023-04-29 12:24:42

About the Author

Sunil Garodia The India Commentary view

Just as the judicial system tries to weigh down the litigants with the tareekh pe tareekh culture, the government is also trying to fool the agitating wrestlers with the committee pe committee culture. Having formed one fact-finding committee with M C Mary Kom (no less) as chairperson after the wrestlers hit the streets the first time in January this year and without informing any one about what the committee found out, the government is trying to pacify the wrestlers, who have once again assembled at Jantar Mantar to highlight continued inaction by the government against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). But the wrestlers have rejected the suggestion and have said that they will not budge till Singh is arrested.

After the lashing from the Supreme Court, the Delhi Police have also moved against Singh. Two FIRs have been filed on the written complaints of 7 female wrestlers. One of the FIRs has been filed under Pocso, suggesting that one complainant was a minor. It is sad that initially the Delhi Police tried to shirk responsibility by saying that it needed to conduct a preliminary investigation before filing the FIR. Is it because Singh is a BJP leader with immense clout? For, otherwise, the Delhi cops file FIRs quickly. The government has a lot to answer. It tried to break the agitation (as some wrestlers have alleged) by using Babita Phogat, three time Commonwealth medallist who is a BJP member now. Sports minister Anurag Thakur met the wrestlers twice in January and promised action. But nothing happened in the last three months. Now the ministry  wants to form another committee whose report will gather dust.

Ramayana says that a person in authority must not only be pure but must also appear to be so. Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh faces serious allegation of sexual harassment. His continuance as WFI president is morally wrong and cannot be accepted as he has lost the trust of those who win medals for the country. The allegations are serious and a number of top wrestlers have staked their careers in supporting the female wrestlers allegedly molested by him. The government must remove him from the post and let the law take its course.