Sanjay Singh on Thursday grew to become the new president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) together with his panel comfortably profitable most of the posts within the delayed polls as outgoing chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh gained oblique management over the sports activities physique.
Sanjay, who’s a Brij Bhushan loyalist and U.P. Wrestling Association vice president, secured 40 votes as in opposition to seven that his rival Anita Sheoran received.
RSS-affiliate Sanjay hails from Varanasi and is a really shut affiliate of Brij Bhushan. Given the large curiosity the outgoing chief has within the sport, it’s anticipated that Sanjay will seek the advice of him in coverage selections.
“It’s triumph for thousands of wrestlers in the country who suffered in the past 7-8 months,” Sanjay Singh advised reporters after his large win.
Also learn: New decide to listen to sexual harassment case in opposition to former WFI chief
The panel of Sheoran, a CWG gold medallist, although managed to win the important thing publish of secretary common as Prem Chand Lochab, a former RSPB secretary, beat Darshan Lal 27-19.
Devender Singh Kadian, who runs a sequence of meals joints on National Highways and is taken into account to be near protesting wrestlers, claimed the senior vice president’s publish, beating I.D. Nanavati 32-15.
The Brij Bhushan camp received 13 of the 15 posts. It swept all of the 4 posts of vice presidents with Delhi’s Jai Prakash (37), West Bengal’s Asit Kumar Saha (42), Punjab’s Kartar Singh (44) and Manipur’s N. Phoni (38) profitable the elections.
The new Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, who didn’t flip up for the polls, received solely 5 votes within the vice president election.
Uttarakhand’s Satyapal Singh Deshwal, who can also be from Brij Bhushan camp, is the new treasurer. He beat Jammu and Kashmir’s Dushyant Sharma 34-12.
All 5 government committee members had been additionally from the outgoing chief’s camp.
“The wrestlers who have been protesting over the last one year should leave the path and concentrate on their sport. That will only give them success and fame,” two-time Asian video games champion Kartar Singh stated.
“The sport has suffered a lot in the last one year due to the protest by wrestlers and no national competition at any level has taken place depriving subjuniors, juniors and seniors of jobs, promotions etc,” he added.
The consequence of the polls would give prime wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik the sensation that their protest in opposition to Brij Bhushan has come to naught as they may not get the fraternity behind them regardless of aggressively pushing for a change of guard. An in depth affiliate of the BJP MP is now on the helm.
They had accused Brij Bhushan of sexually harassing ladies wrestlers, together with juniors, and managed to mobilise large assist from totally different sections of society however the protest fizzled out the day they deliberate a march in direction of new Parliament constructing on May 28 when Delhi police eliminated all of the protesters from Jantar Mantar for rioting.
The wrestlers had formally referred to as off their protest on June 7 when Sports Minister Anurag Thakur assured them that none of the members of the family or shut associates of Brij Bhushan can be allowed to enter the WFI election fray.
Stage set for lifting UWW ban on WFI
The election of the new government council may also pave the best way for lifting the United World Wrestling (UWW) ban on WFI. The world governing physique of the sport had banned WFI for not conducting election on time, forcing Indian wrestlers to compete as impartial athletes on the 2023 World Championships.
The election course of was set in movement in July however was delayed as a result of of courtroom circumstances. The Supreme Court just lately put aside the keep imposed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, paving the best way for the method to elect the new WFI governing physique.
From wrestlers’ protest to WFI elections: a timeline
The following is the timeline of the chain of occasions up until the election of the Wrestling Federation of India on Thursday:
January 18: Wrestlers start protest at Jantar Mantar, accuse WFI chief Brij Bhushan Singh Sharan of sexual exploitation and intimidation, demand his resignation and dissolution of the federation.
January 19: CWG champion wrestler and BJP member Babita Phogat meets wrestlers, says she is going to communicate to the federal government.
January 20: Wrestlers write a grievance letter to Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha, demand the formation of an inquiry committee to probe the allegations and appointment of a new committee to run WFI in session with the wrestlers.
IOA types a seven-member committee, together with M C Mary Kom and Yogeshwar Dutt, to probe the allegations of sexual harassment.
January 21: Wrestlers name off protest after assembly Thakur.
Sports Minister says an Oversight Committee can be fashioned to probe the allegations and Brij Bhushan will step apart until the probe is accomplished.
WFI denies allegations of sexual harassment of ladies wrestlers by its president and coaches.
January 21: Sports Ministry asks WFI to droop all ongoing actions with fast impact and schedule emergency AGM assembly of WFI.
Assistant secretary of WFI Vinod Tomar suspended.
January 23: Formation of 5-member Oversight Committee (OC), led by Mary Kom, to look into the allegations *OC given 4 weeks to finish probe.
January 24: Protesting wrestlers specific disappointment that they weren’t consulted by the federal government on the selection of the committee members.
February 23: OC’s tenure prolonged by two weeks.
April 16: WFI proclaims election on May 7 after the OC’s report is submitted to the Sports Ministry. Report not made public.
April 23: Wrestlers return to Jantar Mantar, say 7 feminine wrestlers, together with a minor, have filed a sexual harassment grievance in opposition to Brij Bhushan on the CP police station. Claim police has not but registered an FIR.
Wrestlers ask Sports Ministry to make OC’s findings public.
April 24: Sports Ministry stalls May 7 elections. Asks IOA to represent an ad-hoc committee to conduct the polls inside 45 days of its formation and likewise handle the sports activities physique.
April 25: Wrestlers transfer Supreme Court in search of registration of FIR in opposition to Brij Bhushan.
SC points discover to Delhi police.
April 27: Formation of 3-member panel by IOA.
P.T. Usha says protesting wrestlers ought to have proven some self-discipline and, as an alternative of taking to the streets, ought to have approached the IOA.
May 3: Scuffle breaks out between the wrestlers and the Delhi Police, main to move accidents to some of protesters.
Protesters accuse “drunk officials of manhandling” them and “misbehaving” with the feminine wrestlers. The altercation led to detention whereas some wrestlers additionally sustained accidents.
May 4: SC closes proceedings on a plea by 3 ladies wrestlers, who’ve levelled sexual harassment allegations Brij Bhushan, after noting that FIRs have been registered and the 7 complainants have been offered ample safety.
May 5: Delhi police file statements of wrestlers, who’ve filed complaints of sexual harassment in opposition to Brij Bhushan.
May 10: Wrestlers problem Brij Bhushan to take NARCO take a look at.
May 11: Police data Brij Bhushan’s assertion.
May 28: Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, together with different protesters, booked for rioting and obstructing public servant in discharge of responsibility, whereas they try and march in direction of the new Parliament, which is being inaugurated by PM. May 30: International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the United World Wrestling (UWW) condemn the police’s dealing with and detention of the Indian wrestlers, calling it “very disturbing.” Wrestlers arrive in Haridwar to immerse medals.
June 8: Father of the minor wrestler tells PTI that they intentionally filed a false police grievance of sexual harassment in opposition to WFI chief as a result of they needed to get again at him.
June 7: Protest halted after Thakur assures them that the police investigation in opposition to Brij Bhushan could be concluded and the pending WFI elections could be carried out by June 30.
June 12: IOA appoints former J&Okay High Court Chief Justice Mahesh Mittal Kumar as returning officer.
June 13: WFI election scheduled for July 6.
June 15: Delhi Police information cost sheet earlier than courtroom.
June 19: IOA ad-hoc panel calls 5 disaffiliated state wrestling items for listening to on June 21.
June 21: The IOA ad-hoc panel reschedules WFI elections to July 11 after 5 disaffiliated State our bodies, in search of voting rights for the polls, current their circumstances in a listening to.
June 22: The IOA ad-hoc panel reduces Asian Games and World Championship choice to a one-bout competitors for six protesting wrestlers.
June 23: Several coaches, dad and mom of wrestlers demand withdrawal of exemption given to 6 wrestlers.
June 25: The Gauhati High Court stays WFI elections, scheduled for July 11, on a petition filed by the Assam Wrestling Association.
July 18: Delhi courtroom grants interim bail to Brij Bhushan Singh.
Bajrang and Vinesh get direct entries into the Asian Games.
July 19: Young wrestlers hit Hisar streets to protest in opposition to “unfair trial exemption” for Bajrang and Vinesh *WFI election scheduled for August 7.
July 20: Many junior wrestlers, their dad and mom and coaches attain IOA headquarters , demand withdrawal of exemption granted to Vinesh and Bajrang.
WFI election rescheduled for August 12.
August 11: Punjab and Haryana High Court keep WFI elections scheduled for August 12, following a petition filed by the Haryana Wrestling Association.
August 23: Wresting world governing physique UWW suspends WFI for not conducting its elections on time.
December 5: WFI elections scheduled on December 21.
December 21: Sanjay Singh, a Brij Bhushan loyalist, elected new WFI chief together with his panel comfortably profitable most of the posts.
