WFI case: “Signed report with objections,” says member of Sports Ministry-appointed oversight committee

The Sports Ministry on January 23 had appointed a six-person committee, headed by Olympic boxing bronze medallist MC Mary Kom, following public protests by several of India’s top wrestlers at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi in January this year.

Published : Apr 08, 2023 21:01 IST - 3 MINS READ

REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE: “Members of the committee had to sign the report before it was submitted to the Sports Ministry. I wrote on the report that I will sign with objections to this report,” the oversight committee member told Sportstar, on condition of anonymity. 
REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE: “Members of the committee had to sign the report before it was submitted to the Sports Ministry. I wrote on the report that I will sign with objections to this report,” the oversight committee member told  Sportstar, on condition of anonymity.  | Photo Credit: Getty Images
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REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE: “Members of the committee had to sign the report before it was submitted to the Sports Ministry. I wrote on the report that I will sign with objections to this report,” the oversight committee member told  Sportstar, on condition of anonymity.  | Photo Credit: Getty Images

A member of the Sports Ministry-appointed oversight committee that probed allegations of sexual harassment and financial mismanagement levelled against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and its chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has raised objections to the manner in which the report was compiled and says to have signed the final report, which was submitted to the Ministry three days back, under protest. 

“Members of the committee had to sign the report before it was submitted to the Sports Ministry. I wrote on the report that I will sign with objections to this report,” the member told  Sportstar, on condition of anonymity. 

The Sports Ministry on January 23 had appointed a six-person committee, headed by Olympic boxing bronze medallist MC Mary Kom, following public protests by several of India’s top wrestlers at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi in January this year. The other members of the committee were former CEO of Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) Capt Rajagopalan, former SAI Executive Director (Teams) Radhika Sreeman, former badminton national champion Trupti Murgunde, Olympic bronze medallist Yogeshwar Dutt and Commonwealth wrestling champion Babita Phogat. 

“I was not allowed to read the final report in full and I had objected about it. The report was submitted to the Sports Ministry on the April 5 and that morning, I realised that certain objections I had earlier raised had not been included in the report. When I asked the committee to include these points, this was not done. I signed and registering my protest,” the member said. 

The member also raised concerns regarding the committee’s evidence collection method. “I wrote in my objection that no document submitted by witnesses or the Wrestling Federation or recording of witness statement was shared with the members of the committee. None of the witness deposition was signed by either the witness or by the members of the committee. We did not cross-check or verify with any of the witnesses if their testimony was right or wrong. We only recorded what was said. There were individuals who had an incentive to speak in favour of one party,” the member said. 

The member further alleged that Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh -- the six-time member of parliament and president of the Wrestling Federation of India -- against whom allegations of harassment had been made, recorded his statement in the absence of a lawyer. “In matters of sexual harassment, all statements are to be taken in the presence of a third party who is a lawyer. This was done in the case of the athletes who had complained, but it was not done for the WFI president,” the member said. 

The committee member said objections were raised several times prior to the finalisation of the report. “Any objection I raised during meetings of the committee was not recorded in the minutes of the meeting. When I asked why this was not recorded, I was told that the matter would be discussed later,” the member said. “In this way, my objections were ignored. Decisions were taken unilaterally. When trials to select the team for the Asian Championships were held, I had objections since this was the first time, we had trials where we called U-20 athletes, but several senior players were not able to compete,” added the committee member. Several athletes were later allowed to compete in the trials after approaching the court. 

The member added that the committee has not made any suggestions on the most serious allegations raised by the protesting wrestlers. “They have not made any recommendations regarding the various allegations that had been made. I have mentioned in the report that no suggestions have been made which will either support or contradict what the athletes have said,” the member said.   

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