Wrestling Federation chief to step aside, announces Anurag Thakur; wrestlers call off protest

The Union sports minister said that Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is battling sexual harassment charges, will be probed by an oversight committee, which will have four weeks to complete the inquiry.

In a major win for wrestlers demanding the resignation of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over sexual harassment allegations, Union sports minister Anurag Thakur announced on Friday night that Singh has been asked to step aside and will be probed by an oversight committee, which will have four weeks to complete the inquiry.

Sports minister Anurag Thakur addressing media after holding a meeting with the protesting wrestlers (ANI)

Thakur's announcement that the WFI chief will step aside came after second round of talks between the minister and wrestlers, who decided to call off their protest, which began on Wednesday and was taking place at Jantar Mantar in the national capital.

“The names for the oversight committee will be announced tomorrow. Also, till the completion of the inquiry, the panel will look after the day-to-day activities of WFI,” said Thakur.

Welcoming the announcement, 2020 Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang Punia, who attended the meeting along with fellow wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Ravi Dahiya, said, “The union sports minister listened to our demands and has assured us that a proper investigation will be done. I thank him and we are hopeful that a fair probe will be done, hence we are calling off the protest.”

The breakthrough came after the first round of talks between Thakur and the wrestlers, which took place at his residence on Thursday night and went on till 2 am on Friday, remained inconclusive. It also came on a day when the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) set up a 7-member panel to investigate the charges against Singh.

Singh, on the other hand, was to hold a press conference on the issue. The briefing, however, was postponed twice, and finally deferred to January 22, when the Wrestling Federation will hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Ayodhya. The 66-year-old, who has been the body's president since 2011, had repeatedly refused to resign and alleged there was a conspiracy against him.