WFI’s disaffiliated state units complain to ad hoc body, may delay polls

Some disaffiliated state units of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) have alleged ‘violations’ of the federation’s constitution, claiming they were ‘illegally’ de-recognised during the tenure of former president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who faces allegations of sexual harassment.

These state units allege that Singh gave affiliation to units that helped him stay in power. He held the post from 2013 to 2023. With his third and final four-year term ending early this year, WFI announced elections on May 7. The union sports minister declared it void following protests by wrestlers, asking the Indian Olympic Association to appoint an ad hoc body to run it.

The panel was given 45 days to announce elections, though it is likely to take longer until disputes in state units are resolved. The wrestlers leading the protest, Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat, have demanded that controversial state units must be dissolved.

Bihar writes to ad-hoc panel

The Bihar Wrestling Association (BWA) has written to the ad hoc committee that it was dissolved in 2018 and another set of office-bearers with Vishal Singh, son-in-law of Brij Bhushan, as president was “affiliated” in violation of WFI election bye-laws.

Kameshwar Singh, who was secretary of the Bihar unit until 2018, said in a letter to the ad hoc panel on May 16 that WFI issued them a show-cause for “alleged irregularities during holding of Junior National Championships in 2016-17”. They were then asked to appear before a disciplinary committee.

“No report was served but very surprisingly, Singh ordered that on the basis of the panel's report the office-bearers were found guilty of serious misconduct and de-recognised,” Kameshwar said. He claimed that election to the new body that was affiliated on Oct 16, 2018, was not held as per WFI constitution. “The motive of the exercise by Singh was to garner support from the Bihar unit for the WFI general elections in January 2019,” he alleged in his letter.

When contacted, Kameshwar said the ad-hoc committee must investigate Singh’s actions and send an observer to hold fresh elections to the state body as per the National Sports Code.

The WFI executive committee also dissolved the Haryana, Maharashtra and Karnataka units on June 30 last year, citing misgovernance. It named ad hoc committees to run these units and hold fresh elections.

The Haryana association (HWA) president is Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda. “For WFI elections, they have to consider HWA as we are recognised by the Haryana Olympic Association (HOA),” said its secretary Raj Kumar Hooda. “HWA was disaffiliated without any reason and a parallel body -- Haryana Amateur Wrestling Association -- was given recognition. We were not even served a notice. There are other state bodies illegally de-recognised by WFI."

The Maharashtra State Wrestling Association (MSWA), with NCP chief Sharad Pawar as president, petitioned the Bombay high court against WFI’s decision and won the case. The court in November quashed the WFI executive committee resolution to dissolve the unit and termed the subsequent election to the Maharashtra unit “illegal”, restoring the Pawar-led body till its tenure ended.

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