Centre suspends all ongoing activities of WFI after big allegations by wrestlers

New Delhi, January 22: Union government on Saturday decided to suspend all Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) activities until the Oversight Committee is formally appointed and takes over the federation's day-to-day operations.

This includes suspending the ongoing ranking competition and returning any entry fees collected from participants for any ongoing activities. The announcement follows the government's decision on January 20, 2023, to appoint an Oversight Committee to take over the WFI's day-to-day operations.

The decision came shortly after Vinod Tomar, the WFI's assistant secretary, was suspended with immediate effect.

The suspended WFI official denied any communication regarding his suspension, claiming that this news reached him through the media.

"I did not know about this. I only learned through a call from ANI that I have been suspended. I did not get any prior information about this. I have not done anything wrong," Tomar said.

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Earlier on Saturday, Tomar termed the charges against the federation's president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh 'baseless'. Tomar said that the wrestlers who sat in a dharna at Delhi's Jantar Mantar and accused the WFI president of sexual harassment and financial impropriety had not produced any evidence to back up their claims.

"The allegations are baseless. It has been 3-4 days (since the wrestlers sat in protest) and they still haven't produced any evidence. I have been associated with them for the past 12 years and I never came across any such incident or allegation," Tomar added.

"The government of India is committed to ensuring the proper functioning of the WFI, and the Oversight Committee will help to ensure that all the complaints made against the Executive Committee of the Federation are enquired into and the Federation is managed in an efficient and transparent manner in the best interests of the sportspersons," stated a release by the Union government.