Haryana Wrestling Body Suspends 3 For Alleged Involvement In Delhi Protests

Hisar:

Haryana Amateur Wrestling Association (HAWA) has suspended the secretaries of three affiliated district units for their alleged involvement in the agitation against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in Delhi.

HAWA president Rohtash Singh issued a letter suspending Virender Singh Dalal of Jhajjar, Sanjay Singh Malik of Hisar and Jai Bhagwan of Mewat, and termed their alleged involvement in the ongoing wrestling protest at the national capital as "unethical".

The HAWA chief said that "all the three are still continuing their activities with the protesters, which is purely unethical and is against the objectives, rules and regulations of the WFI as well as HAWA." Rohtash's decision, however, brought to light the differences which have arisen within the HAWA, which is affiliated to WFI, with its general secretary Rakesh Singh calling the suspension of the district officials as a wrong move.

Rakesh claimed that the HAWA president has no power to suspend them.

The circumstances in which they (the three district officials) have been suspended are wrong and misleading, he said.

Rohtash had also issued another order banning Ajay Singh Dhanda and Jai Bhagwan Lathar, the managers of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Wrestling Academy in Mirchpur village of Hisar district. The president said that the academy and both the managers have been banned with immediate effect for allegedly playing a part in anti-HAWA and WFI activities.

Several wrestlers have been protesting at Jantar Mantar in Delhi since April 23, levelling charges of sexual harassment against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Uttar Pradesh.

The protesters have been demanding criminal action against Singh for alleged sexual harassment and intimidation of seven female wrestlers, including a minor.

Delhi Police have filed two FIRs against the WFI president on April 28. The wrestlers, however, demanded that he be arrested.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)