Protesting wrestlers skip IOA panel meeting

NEW DELHI: The country’s protesting top wrestlers did not turn up for a meeting with the sexual harassment committee formed by the Indian Olympic Association to investigate their allegations against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. After they skipped the first meeting on Saturday, the wrestlers have been given one final chance to appear before the panel on February 11.

It is learnt that the wrestlers, in a letter to the seven-member IOA panel headed by Athletes Commission chairperson MC Mary Kom, said that since some of the members are also in the Oversight Committee appointed by the Union sports ministry, it made little sense to appear before two panels conducting similar investigations.

The five-member Oversight Committee is also headed by woman boxing stalwart Mary Kom and includes 2012 London Olympics wrestling bronze medallist Yogeshwar Dutt. This panel has been tasked to run the day-today affairs of the WFI and probe allegations of “sexual misconduct’’, financial impropriety and misgovernance against WFI officials and some coaches.

Dutt’s presence in both the committees is also a sore point for the wrestlers, who feel he had come out in support of WFI president Singh in his media statements.

However, Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia, while objecting to the Oversight Committee being constituted without the wrestlers being consulted, had said they had no issue with IOA’S panel. Swinging into action within hours of the wrestlers filing a complaint to IOA president PT Usha, IOA called an executive committee meeting and formed the panel as per the Visakha guidelines that deal with sexual harassment. The other IOA panel members are Alaknanda Ashok, Sahdev Yadav, Dola Bannerjee, Dutt and advocates Talish Ray and Shlok Chandra.

“The wrestlers have been given one last opportunity to present themselves before the panel on February 11 after which the panel will submit its report to the IOA executive committee,” said an official with knowledge of the developments.