Page 2 - Brijbhushan Sharan Singh

Sakshi Malik attacks Usha, Mary Kom for not supporting wrestlers' stir

Retired Indian wrestler Sakshi Malik has launched a scathing attack on the country's iconic sportspersons PT Usha and Mary Kom for not extending support to the public protests by a group of female wrestlers over sexual harassment charges against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Though Usha and Mary Kom were celebrated as "inspirations" by sportspersons like her, they did not speak up for the aggrieved woman wrestlers despite listening to their stories, Malik said. The Olympic medal winner was speaking during a recent session held as part of the ongoing Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters (MBIFL) 2024 at Kanakakkunnu here. Expressing shock over the response of the legendary sports stars towards their agitation, she said both of them had assured all support to wrestlers but did nothing to find any solution. "P T Usha madam had visited our protest venue. We told her in detail about our issues... She could have supported us...But she

Those who created hurdles shouldn't be invited to Ram Temple: Brij Bhusan

BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has voiced opposition to inviting the leaders of opposition parties who "created obstacles" in the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya for its consecration ceremony scheduled for January 22. Talking to reporters, Singh also dismissed the speculation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi might contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from Ayodhya. "The opposition, which created hurdles in the construction of the temple at every step, should not be invited to Ayodhya at all," he told reporters on the sidelines of a programme at Rasauli in the Safdarganj area of this Uttar Pradesh district on Tuesday evening. "These (opposition leaders) are the same people who, while targeting the BJP, used to say 'Ramlala, hum ayenge, mandir wahin banayenge lekin tarikh nahi batayenge (we will come, we will build the temple there but will not reveal the date)," the MP from Kaiserganj in Uttar Pradesh said. According to reports, invitations for the Ram temple consecratio

Sports ministry says it won't recognise events organised by suspended WFI

The Sports Ministry on Sunday said the suspended Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has no authority to conduct the Senior National Championships and any event staged by the body will be considered "unsanctioned" and "unrecognised". Three days after the WFI held its polls last month, the Ministry had suspended the sports body citing several violations of rules and then the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) formed a three-member ad-hoc panel to manage the federation's day-to-day affairs. However, a defiant Sanjay Singh, President of the suspended WFI, said that they will soon organise the national championships and insisted that they neither recognise the suspension of the newly-elected body nor the ad-hoc panel. "It has come to the notice of the Ministry that you have issued a Circular bearing No. WFI/Senior National/Maharashtra/2024 dated 06.01.2024 on the letterhead of the Wrestling Federation of India regarding conduct of Senior National Wrestling Championship 2023 at Pune ...

Newly-elected WFI without Sanjay Singh is acceptable to us: Sakshi Malik

Sakshi Malik on Wednesday insisted that she has no issues with the newly-elected Wrestling Federation of India if Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh-loyalist Sanjay Singh is kept away from the body. Malik had announced her retirement from the sport on December 21 in protest against the election of Sanjay Singh as WFI President. The 2016 Rio Olympic Games bronze medallist also claimed that her mother has been receiving threat calls from former WFI chief Brij Bhushan's supporters. Malik, 31, said they will accept a WFI without Sanjay Singh but ruled out her own involvement in running of the federation. "We don't have any issues with the new federation except one man, Sanjay Singh. We don't have any issue if the new body comes back without Sanjay Singh. We do not have any issue with the ad-hoc committee as well," Malik told reporters. "The government is like parents for us and I would request them to make wrestling safe for the upcoming wrestlers. You have seen how Sanjay Singh has been behav

Wrestlers seek UWW intervention in resolving wrestling crisis in India

Several international medal-winning wrestlers from different states have approached the world governing body UWW, requesting its intervention for restoration of the suspended WFI and accused Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik of orchestrating a "fake agitation". The three wrestlers had led a protest against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, alleging that he has sexually exploited women wrestlers and sought his arrest. The matter is being heard by a Delhi court and Brij Bhushan is out on bail. The National camps have not been held for a long time due to the ongoing tussle between the elite wrestlers and the BJP MP. An ad-hoc panel ran the sport till recently but was brought back to handle day-to-day affairs of the sports body after the newly-elected body was suspended by the Sports Ministry. "I would like to inform you that due to fake agitation of three wrestlers, the wrestling in India has been destroyed. I am a woman wrestler but I did not face any sexual dem

Govt wants Oppn to behave like Bidhuri to avoid suspension: Derek O'Brien

Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien on Tuesday said the government perhaps wants opposition members to behave like BJP lawmakers Ramesh Bidhuri and Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh -- both of whom are facing allegations of misconduct -- as 14 opposition MPs continue to remain suspended from Parliament. A hundred opposition MPs in the Lok Sabha and 46 in the Rajya Sabha were suspended during the recent Winter session of Parliament after they held protests in the two Houses to demand a discussion and a statement by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the December 13 security breach. In a post on X, O'Brien -- who was among the MPs to be suspended -- took a jibe at the government and mentioned Bidhuri, accused of using a communal slur in the Lok Sabha, and Singh, who is facing allegations of sexual harassment by six women wrestlers. The accusation against Bidhuri is being looked into by a privileges committee. "Two impeccably well-behaved Members of Parliament continue to grace the Lok Sabha --

Senior national wrestling camps to commence in Patiala, Sonepat from Feb 9

The national wrestling camps for men and women will commence in Sonepat and Patiala respectively from February 9, according to the IOA-constituted ad-hoc committee for the sport here on Monday. With the Asian Olympics Qualifying and World Qualifying tournaments around the corner, the camps will begin almost immediately after the conclusion of the senior National Championships in Jaipur on February 5. The ad-hoc panel, headed by Wushu Association of India chief Bhupender Singh Bajwa with former hockey player MM Somaya and ex-shuttler Manjusha Kanwar being the other members, is taking all the crucial decisions after the newly-elected Sanjay Singh-led Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) was suspended by the Sports Ministry within three days of the polls. "Following the conclusion of the Senior National Championships, the National Coaching Camp (NCC) will be conducted. The men's camp (Greco-Roman and free-style) will be stationed at SAI NRC Sonepat, while the women's camp will be held

Watch video: Wrestler Vinesh Phogat returns Khel Ratna, Arjuna awards

Multiple World Championship medallist Vinesh Phogat on Saturday returned her Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award, keeping the two awards lying in the middle of national capital's Kartavya Path after Delhi Police stopped her from reaching the prime minister's office. On Tuesday, the Asian Games gold medallist grappler had decided to return her Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award to the government, saying such honours have become meaningless at a time when wrestlers are struggling to get justice. Phogat had announced her decision in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On Saturday, she attempted to reach the prime minister's office to return her awards but the police prevented her from reaching the PMO. As a mark of protest, she left the awards at the Kartavya Path and they were later picked up by Delhi Police. Phogat, along with Olympic medallists Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, had protested against the election of Sanjay Singh, a close aide of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) ...

Wrestling Federation of India office moved out of Brij Bhushan's residence

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Friday moved its office out of the residence of its former president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, after the sports ministry had recently raised serious objections to it. "The WFI will operate from a new address in New Delhi after vacating Brij Bhushan's premises," a source told PTI on condition of anonymity. The new WFI office is located in the Hari Nagar area of New Delhi. The ministry, while suspending the newly-formed WFI panel under president Sanjay Singh on December 24, three days after he was elected its head, had cited the office running from Brij Bhushan's residence as one of the reasons for taking the stringent action. "The business of the federation is being run from the premises controlled by former office bearers (Brij Bhushan) -- which is also the alleged premises wherein sexual harassment of the players have been alleged and present(ly) the court is hearing the matter," the ministry had said in its letter. The minis

WFI not suspended, Centre spreading false news, alleges Priyanka Gandhi

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused the Centre on Monday of spreading "false news" about dissolving the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and alleged that its activities have been stopped to spread confusion and shelter a BJP MP who has been accused of sexual harassment by female wrestlers. She also alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) always protects the accused with all its might and tortures the victims whenever incidents of atrocities on women come to light. "The BJP is spreading false news about dissolving the wrestling federation. The federation has not been dissolved, its activities have been stopped so that the accused can be saved by spreading confusion. Do they have to stoop to this level to suppress the voice of aggrieved women?" the Congress general secretary asked in a post in Hindi on X. "The well-known players who made the country proud accused a BJP MP of sexual harassment and the government stood with the accused. The victims were tortured and t

Posters about Brij Bhushan's 'dabdaba' removed in UP's Gonda post WFI row

Posters and hoardings declaring the "dominance" of BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh put up here after his aide won the Wrestling Federation of India chief polls have been removed after the Centre suspended the newly-elected sports body. Singh, who helmed the WFI for multiple terms, had boasted about his "dabdaba" (dominance) which he had asserted will continue as his confidant Sanjay Singh won the WFI polls. He was accused of sexual harassment by some female wrestlers. Posters and hoardings reading "dabdaba toh hai dabdaba toh rahega (there is his dominance, there will be his dominance" were put up outside the MP's house here and at other places in the town after Sanjay Singh's victory in the polls. His supporters also pasted pamphlets carrying the same message on their vehicles. All these posters and hoardings have now been taken down now as the Sports Ministry announced the suspension of the WFI for alleged violation of procedures, and a day after Brij Bhushan announced his ...

Done with wrestling: Here's what Brijbhushan said after WFI suspension

Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, the former chief of the WFI, clarified that he was not going to intervene in the matters of wrestling anymore and his sole focus would be on the Loksabha elections 2024

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Why was Brij Bhushan's aide allowed to contest: Opposition on WFI row

Opposition leaders on Sunday said the government's decision to suspend the newly-elected WFI was not enough to give justice to protesting wrestlers and questioned why a loyalist of former WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was allowed to contest the election to the sports body in the first place. The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections were held on December 21 with Sanjay Singh and his panel winning the polls by big margins. The sports ministry on Sunday suspended the WFI till further notice after the wrestling body made a "hasty announcement" of organising the U-15 and U-20 nationals "without following due procedure and not giving sufficient notice to wrestlers" for preparations. "By suspending the committee if BJP-led ministry thinks they are absolving themselves from not helping the women wrestlers, they are mistaken," Sharad Pawar-led NCP's national spokesperson Clyde Crasto said on X. He said the ministry's actions were a "farce". "Medal surrendered by Shakshi

Yet to see anything in writing: Sakshi Malik on WFI's suspension by govt

Sakshi Malik reacted after Brijbhushan Singh said that he had also retired from wrestling following the sports ministry's suspension of the newly elected WFI

Brij Bhushan, aide Sanjay Singh react on govt's crackdown on WFI amid row

In light of protests by star grapplers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, the Union Ministry for Sports and Youth Affairs, on Sunday suspended the federation along with all its office-bearers

Sports Ministry suspends WFI-led by Sanjay Singh till further notice

The Sports Ministry on Sunday suspended the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) till further orders after the newly-elected body made a "hasty announcement" of organising the U-15 and U-20 nationals "without giving sufficient notice to wrestlers" to prepare. The WFI elections were held on December 21 with former president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's loyalist, Sanjay Singh, and his panel winning the polls by big margins. "The new body has not followed the WFI constitution. We have not terminated the Federation but suspended till further orders. They just need to follow the due process and the rules," a sports ministry official told PTI. The source further explained the reasons for suspension. "Sanjay Kumar Singh, newly-elected president of WFI announced on 21.12.2023, the day he was elected as president, that U-15 and U-20 nationals for Wrestling will take place in Nandini Nagar, Gonda (UP) before the end of this year. "This announcement is hasty, without giving sufficient notice t

Whoever elected as WFI chief, job of athletes' to practice: BJP MP Bidhuri

Former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's aide Sanjay Singh was elected as the new president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI)

After Punia, Deaflympics gold winner Virender Singh to return Padma Shri

Deaflympics gold medallist Virender Singh Yadav, better known as Goonga Pehlwan, has now decided to return his Padma Shri to the government, showing solidarity with the country's top wrestlers who have objected to election of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh loyalist Sanjay Singh as WFI president. Throwing his weight behind Olympic bronze medallist grappler Sakshi Malik, who announced her retirement from the sport soon after Sanjay Singh's victory in the recent WFI polls, Virender said he would return the honour as a mark of protest against the election of Brij Bhushan's close aide. Bajrang Punia, one of the prominent faces of the protest against the former WFI chief, had returned his Padma Shri on Friday. "I will also return the Padma Shri for my sister and the country's daughter. Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, I am proud of your daughter and my sister Sakshi Malikkh," Virender wrote on X. He also urged the country's iconic sports personalities such as Sachin Tendulkar

Bajrang Punia to return Padma Shri in protest over WFI poll outcome

On Thursday, Sanjay Singh was elected as the president of the WFI after the panel led by the close aide of Brij Bhushan won 13 of the 15 posts