Sexual harassment allegations against WFI chief could not be proved: Sources
New Delhi, Apr 13: No concrete evidence of sexual harassment has been found against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was accused of exploitation by the country's top wrestlers, it has been learnt.
In an unprecedented move, top achievers such as Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik staged a sit-in protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar in January and accused the WFI boss of sexual exploitation and intimidation.
The wrestlers had demanded that WFI be disbanded and its president be removed.
The Sports Ministry had formed a five-member oversight committee, headed by legendary boxer MC Mary Kom, on January 23 and asked it to submit its findings in one month.
Later, it extended the deadline by two weeks and also added Babita Phogat to the probe panel as its sixth member on the insistence of the protesting wrestlers.
The committee submitted its report in the first week of April but the ministry is yet to make its findings public.
However, multiple sources confirmed that the wrestlers could not prove the sexual harassment allegations against the WFI boss after several hearings.
"The wrestlers could not prove their sexual harassment allegations. During the probe, it was alleged that one female physio (name withheld) was asked by Brij Bhushan to give him massage to treat his back pain last year in Bulgaria during a competition. However, during the hearing, the same physio denied any such happening," a source told PTI on Thursday.
"Instead, she revealed that all Brij Bhushan wanted was a pain killer for headache and when she offered one, and was accompanied by a female coach at that time, the WFI boss even refused to take tablet 'disprin'.
"It was male coach Anil who had actually helped Brij Bhushan."
WFI officials, however, did not make any official comment when approached.
It has also been learnt that Vinesh and Sakshi have submitted written affidavits to the IOA probe panel, which is investigating into the allegations separately, but ended up submitting wrong information.
"In her affidavit, Vinesh claimed that Brij Bhushan touched her inappropriately in Turkey in 2015. However, later it was found that Vinesh had not competed in Turkey that year. Later she said it actually happened in 2016 and in Mongolia.
"Sakshi in her affidavit wrote that Brij Bhushan hugged her in 2015. Brij Bhushan sensed her discomfort and said that he hugged her like a father."
According to another source, a few former female wrestlers said that Brij Bhushan asked for their numbers but when asked if he ever called them, they replied in the negative.
"They said Brij Bhushah clicked pictures with them with his hands on their shoulders but could not produce those pictures when demanded by the panel," said the source.
Not only Brij Bhushan but a few coaches also faced allegations. One such coach was Greco Roman trainer Mahabir Prasad.
The Droncharya awardee was asked by the panel why he visited Vinesh's home after her debacle in the Tokyo Olympics. To which he replied that he wanted to say a few motivating words because he felt that the top wrestler was going through a tough period.
Vinesh had made a shock first round exit from the Olympics and was later suspended by WFI for indiscipline. She had revealed that she was suffering from depression and was struggling badly to cope with the situation.
"Mahabir replied that he was not alone when he paid a visit to Vinesh. He was accompanied with a coach and a journalist, so there was no question of having any ill will in him meeting Vinesh," said a source.
It has also been learnt that two SAI officials had gone to the Sonepat centre, where the training camp for male wrestlers is held, to "extract" adverse statement from the coaches against Brij Bhushan.
"When an oversight committee was probing the matter, what the SAI officials were doing there at Sonepat SAI centre. Even a relative of one of members of the committee was also there. How did SAI centre allow that relative inside the SAI complex? He was not part of the camp," said the source.
Calls to SAI officials, including Director General Sandip Pradhan, went unanswered.
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BJP stages walkout in Karnataka assembly over 'non-disbursal' of Gruha Lakshmi payout
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The opposition BJP on Wednesday staged a walkout from the Karnataka assembly protesting the alleged "non-disbursal" of two months' installments to 1.26 crore beneficiaries under a woman's assistance scheme of the state government.
The protest followed a heated debate in which the opposition accused the state government of providing "misleading" information regarding the payment status of the flagship Gruha Lakshmi scheme.
The saffron party members trooped into the well of the House and raised slogans, leading to the adjournment of the proceedings of the House for over an hour.
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The Gruha Lakshmi guarantee scheme is one of the five pre-poll promises of the ruling Congress. It provides Rs 2,000 monthly to women heads of the Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.
The BJP legislators accused Woman and Child Welfare Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar of having "misled" the House by giving false information to BJP MLA Mahesh Tenginkai that all the instalments till August have been paid under the scheme.
The opposition charged that the installments for the months of February and March this year were not paid.
The BJP MLAs' grouse was that they had been demanding an explanation from the Minister for the past three days, but she never turned up to provide information.
As soon as the session started, the opposition members trooped into the well of the House demanding the Minister's presence, which led to the adjournment.
When the members assembled again, the Minister replied that this is a unique flagship programme of the Congress government, which is a model for all the states.
Hebbalkar said she always strived to ensure that this scheme is implemented religiously.
"However, when I checked, I noticed that two months' installments were not paid to the beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). If my reply has hurt anyone, then I express my regret," she said.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who came to the defence of Hebbalkar, said the BJP should apologise for the lie in the Union Budget.
"Despite the Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announcing Rs 5,300 crore for the Upper Bhadra Irrigation Project in the budget, the money was not given to Karnataka. You should question that as well," Shivakumar underlined.
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To this, Leader of Opposition in the assembly R Ashoka said the matter was raised because not only were the BJP members hurt but also the 1.26 crore beneficiaries who were eagerly waiting for the money.
Demanding that the lie be expunged from the House records, he insisted on a date for when the backlog will be paid to the beneficiaries.
The Minister said she was apologising for giving a wrong reply, but she was peeved at the way a woman was targeted in the House.
Objecting to this statement, BJP MLA S Suresh Kumar asked her to refrain from playing victim card and bring up the issue of gender, caste and religious discrimination as it was a matter related to 1.26 crore people.
Ashoka and the BJP MLAs then staged a walkout, saying the Minister's reply was not satisfactory.
