Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia held a press conference in New Delhi after meeting with officials from the Union Sports Ministry to talk about their protest.

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), will hold a press conference on Friday at the Wrestling Training Centre in Nawabganj, Gonda district, Uttar Pradesh. Wrestlers who are protesting at Jantar Mantar in Delhi will also talk to the press today at 10:30 AM. This happened after top Indian wrestlers met with Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur and refused to back down from their demand that the government start taking steps right away to get rid of the WFI.

“Exposing the political conspiracy of those plotting against wrestling and playing with the dignity of women wrestlers,” Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh wrote in a Hindi Facebook post announcing his press conference for today.

Indian wrestlers like Olympic medalists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, world champion medalist Vinesh Phogat, and others have been sitting in at Jantar Mantar to protest WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. They accuse him of sexual exploitation and bullying.

On Thursday night, the protesting wrestlers, led by Vinesh and Bajrang and including Sakshi, Anshu Malik, Ravi Dahiya, Sarita Mor, and others, met Anurag Thakur at his home and asked him to act quickly. The two sides had a long meeting that ended around 2 a.m., but they still haven’t come up with a real solution.

Also Read: Wrestlers Protest against WFI

What We Know About the WFI Protest So Far

Sources told PTI that the government wants the wrestlers to stop their protest, but they have stuck to their demand that the WFI be dissolved first. A source close to the wrestlers told PTI, “The government can take care of other problems later, which is fine with us. But first, it needs to get rid of the WFI.”

Brinda karat told not to give the sports person's protest a political colour, asked to leave the protest site by the wrestlers pic.twitter.com/VwR4ttAs12

— Amanpreet Singh (ਅਮਨਪ੍ਰੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ) (@amanthejourno) January 19, 2023

A group of wrestlers, including Bajrang, Vinesh, Anshu, Sakshi, and her husband Satyawrat Kadiyan, met with government officials on Thursday morning to talk about their problems. They met with Sports Secretary Sujata Chaturvedi, Sports Authority of India Director General Sandip Pradhan, and Joint Secretary (Sports) Kunal.

According to PTI, during the hour-long meeting, the athletes were told to stop their protest and that their problems would be taken care of. Babita Phogat, who used to be a wrestler and is now a leader in the BJP, was also there.

The Sports Ministry has asked the WFI for an explanation about the wrestlers’ claims, but the WFI has not yet given one. Since the government has already asked the WFI for an explanation, the ministry can’t make Brij Bhushan quit until it gets a written answer.

A spokesperson for the National Commission for Women said, “People who have complaints about this matter can go to the women’s panel.”
The protest started with a shocking revelation. On Wednesday, a crying Vinesh Phogat said that WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh had been sexually exploiting women wrestlers for many years. The sports administrator and BJP MP strongly denied this claim.

The 28-year-old woman said that she had never been used in this way, but she added, “I know at least 10–20 female wrestlers who have told me that the WFI President took advantage of them sexually. They told me what happened. I can’t give you their names right now, but if we get to meet the Prime Minister and the Home Minister of the country, I’ll be happy to “.

“People close to the WFI President have made death threats against me. If something bad happens to any of us sitting here, it will be the WFI President’s fault “She said that.

The post Today, the head of the WFI will hold a press conference, and wrestlers are still insisting that the WFI should be broken up. appeared first on Republic Aeon.

WFI vs Wrestlers Protest: 30 wrestlers including star wrestlers like Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik are protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar since January 18. These wrestlers have accused Indian Wrestling Association President Brij Bhushan Singh and several coaches of sexual harassment. After these allegations and demonstrations, today a meeting was also held between the Sports Ministry and the wrestlers. However, the protesting wrestlers were not satisfied with this conversation and have said to continue the strike till justice is served. In such a situation, today we will tell you 10 big things related to this performance.

• On January 18, star wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat along with 30 wrestlers sat on strike. He has accused Indian Wrestling Association President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and several coaches of sexually abusing players. At the same time, demanded the dissolution of the Indian Wrestling Association.
• WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh appeared before the media after the allegations were made by the wrestlers and rejected all the allegations leveled against him. Brij Bhushan dismissed the allegations and even said that if the allegations against me are proved to be true, then I will be hanged. At the same time, he accused the players themselves of not participating in the trial.
• Swati Maliwal, chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women, reached to meet the wrestlers sitting on the dharna. He asked the Wrestling Federation to answer the allegations of sexual harassment leveled by women players. Swati Maliwal also sent a notice to the Sports Ministry and demanded the local police to register a case in this matter.
• This dharna, which started on Wednesday, continued on Thursday as well and Geeta-Babita’s father Mahavir Phogat also reached Jantar Mantar at the dharna site.
• BJP leader and former wrestler Babita Phogat reached out to the wrestlers at Delhi’s Jantar-Tar. After her arrival, Bajrang Punia told that she has come as a mediator between the government and us. Babita talked to the wrestlers and assured them that the government is with them.
• Vinesh Phogat also made serious allegations against the wrestling association of Haryana and said that people like Brij Bhushan Sharan are also included in this new association.
• The wrestlers also got the support of Palam 360 Khap Panchayat of Delhi in this dharna. Khap Panchayat head Surendra Singh Solanki said that the government should immediately dismiss Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, President of Wrestling Federation, from his post in this matter.
• Communist Party of India leader Vrinda Karat reached in support of the wrestlers. However, he was not allowed to climb the stage. Bajrang Punia has already told that this protest is not happening under political pressure. This is happening for the good of wrestling and we do not need the support of any politician.
• Wrestlers also got the support of the Nationalist Congress Party, they demanded the resignation of Brij Bhushan Singh, President of the Wrestling Federation of India. On the other hand, NCP spokesperson Clyde Craston said in this matter that ‘women wrestlers who won medals for our country are protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to demand justice for themselves against the wrongdoings of WFI.
• There was a meeting between the sports ministry and the wrestlers. However, the wrestlers were not very happy with this meeting. After the meeting, the wrestlers said that they would accept the resignation of the head of the wrestling association. At the same time, he also said that he will continue the protest until he gets justice. Bajrang Punia said that ‘if the Wrestling Federation is not dismissed by January 20, we will get an FIR registered against the President of the Wrestling Federation’.
  

  #WATCH | CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat asked to step down from the stage during wrestlers' protest against WFI at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. pic.twitter.com/sw8WMTdjsk

  — ANI (@ANI) January 19, 2023

  Also read this:Upcoming Elections 2023: Election battle of 9 states, know ‘who is in the water’

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