New Delhi: After the protest staged by wrestlers against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief, the Ministry of Sports on Saturday suspended the additional secretary of WFI, Vinod Tomar.
Tomar, howver, feigned ignorance regarding the development, ANI reported.
The decision is said to be part of yesterday’s meeting between the sports ministry and the wrestlers. Tomar worked closely with the WFI president, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and looked after the day-to-day affairs of the WFI.
The sports ministry also asked the WFI to cancel the ongoing Ranking Tournament in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda. The ministry has directed the federation to return the entry fees charged to participants for the ongoing event.
Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and a number of other wrestlers on January 18 staged a protest against the WFI. The 28-year-old Phogat alleged that Brij Bhushan Sharan had been harassing female wrestlers.
Vinesh also said she has contemplated suicide due to the treatment meted out to her by the WFI president, who is also a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) from Uttar Pradesh. Brij Bushan Sharan Singh, however, denied all allegations, saying he would hang himself if any of the wrestlers come forward and confirm Vinesh’s claims.
