The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has given two more weeks to the Oversight Committee to give its report into the various allegations made by the wrestlers against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and its president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
The Ministry had appointed the Oversight Committee under the chairmanship of legendary boxer MC Mary Kom to go into the various allegations levelled by the wrestlers led by Olympians Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat against WFI, its president and coaching staff of mental and sexual harassment.
The Oversight Committee was originally given a month to file its report. But the Ministry has extended the deadline. “The Ministry Of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) has extended the term of the Oversight Committee for Wrestling by two weeks for submission of the report pertaining to the complaint filed by a group of wrestlers against the Wrestling Federation of India. The extension has been granted on request from the Oversight Committee,” the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
“The extension also applies to other functions assigned to the committee which include day-to-day administration of WFI, during the course of the inquiry,” the statement said. Besides inquiring into the affairs of WFI, the Sports Ministry had also authorised the Oversight Committee to handle the day-to-day affairs of the wrestling federation.
Besides Mary Kom, the committee includes Yogeshwar Dutt, Babita Phogat, executive council member, IOA, Dhyanchand awardee Trupti Murgunde, member Mission Olympic Cell, Radhica Sreeman, Ex-Executive Director, TEAMS, Sports Authority of India, and Crd (Retd) Rajesh Rajagopalan, Ex-CEO, Target Olympic Podium Scheme.
While directing Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and the executive committee not to be involved in the day-to-day functioning of the federation, the Ministry also authorised the Oversight Committee to inquire into the allegations of financial irregularities by the wrestlers.