WFI Governing Body Suspended For Not Following Due Process
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack
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By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2023-12-24 07:25:43
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Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack
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In a happy turn of events, the government on Sunday suspended the newly elected governing body of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) until further notice. In a strongly-worded statement that said that the new office committee has not followed due process and the rules in 'hastily' declaring that the U-15 and U-20 nationals will take place in Nandini Nagar, Gonda (UP) in the next few days (before the end of the year), the government suspended the body.
The election of Sanjay Singh, a close aide of controversial former president of WFI and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Saran Singh (against whom several sexual molestation charges are pending), as president was widely criticized and wrestler Sakshee Malik had quit wrestling in protest while Bajrang Punia had returned his Padma Shri award.
In an editorial, the Indian Express had pointed out several confounding results in the elections which proved that all was not hunky dory. The newspaper said that it was puzzling that Mohan Yadav, the new chief minister of MP who contested for vice-president as part of BBS Singh's panel got just 5 votes while ID Nanavati, a staunch BBSS loyalist and experienced sports administrator, lost to Devender Kadiyan, a hotelier from Haryana. It also pointed out that bureaucrat Prem Chand Lochab contested for the first time and won the coveted secretary-general's post.
The government is concerned that the office of the WFI is being run from the residence of BBSS, the place where he allegedly molested wrestlers and cases are pending against him for that. It said the executive committee meeting of the new body was held without proper notice and quorum. It also said that notice was not provided to wrestlers in the prescribed manner (hence, they will not get time to prepare) before announcing the U-15 and U-20 national tournament.
Sakshee Malik had said in a tweet that several young wrestlers were approaching her for advice as they feared that Nandini Nagar in Gonda being a BBSS stronghold, they were worried about their safety. It is natural for the athletes to be worried for the new committee is filled with BBSS cohorts. The government has done the right thing in suspending the body. But the next decisions must be taken fast and a new body must be put in place so that the UWW can revoke its suspension and wrestlers can take part in international tournaments under the Indian flag.
