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Brij Bhushan’s close aide Lohar is Haryana wrestling body working president
Ramesh Lohar was selected as the working president of the Haryana Wrestling Association (HWA) replacing Rohtash Nandal.
History-sheeter Ramesh Lohar was selected as the working president of the Haryana Wrestling Association (HWA) replacing Rohtash Nandal. The HWA general secretary, Rakesh Coach had accused Nandal of running the association in a dictatorial way, besides indulging in financial irregularities.
Nandal was removed during the annual general meeting of the association that concluded on Sunday at Bahadurgarh in Jhajjar.
Talking to the media, Coach said now Nandal has no right to conduct the state championship of wrestling in Sonepat scheduled for January 17 and 18.
“Wrestlers of Haryana and other states struggled in the last one year due to a tussle between the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and the HWA,” he added.
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Lohar is considered close to former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and former Haryana minister Manish Grover. During the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Rohtak police had booked Lohar and one Sunil Kumar and seized 15 cartridges and lathis from the three cars they were using with temporary registration numbers, while many number plates were found in the vehicles which were confiscated.
Top wrestlers Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia had earlier demanded the suspension of the HWA.
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“They (Sakshi and Bajrang) can now raise questions over the procedure of electing the Prime Minister in India. Our election was done as per rule and the WFI can’t be suspended by the government. Now, we will try that tournaments are completed on time,” Lohar said.
He is facing charges in at least nine criminal cases registered in Haryana and Delhi.
In March 2017, he was shot at outside the Rohtak court complex allegedly by a rival gang member. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, he along with one Sunil had been booked under Sections 188, 420, 483 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act on a complaint filed by Member of Parliament Deepender Hooda.
