"Media protestors may not be taken seriously" — WFI denies all allegations in letter to Sports Ministry

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has denied all the allegations levelled against the national body in a letter addressed to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

The Sports Ministry had directed the WFI to file a reply within 72 hours at the end of the first day of the wrestlers' protest which saw allegations of mismanagement and sexual harassment being levelled against the federation by some of the country's top wrestlers including the likes of Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and others.

In a letter addressed to the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Department of Sports, the WFI has categorically denied all the allegations.

The federation maintained that there was "no scope of arbitrariness and mismanagement in the body by anyone including the President", since it is a constitutionally elected body.

They maintained that the WFI has always acted in the best interest of the wrestlers and that it has enhanced the image of the sport in the country and globally.

The WFI even said that the protestors should not be taken seriously as they have vested interests and that the federation does not work on the whims and fancies of any particular indivdual.

"The media protestors may not be taken seriously, who have evidently acted more in personal interest or under undue pressure or under any larger bigger conspiracy to malign and defame the present sitting management of the WFI President, WFI for vested interest only," the letter reads.

The WFI also maintained that its Sexual Harassment Committee, which also includes protestor and Olympics bronze medallist Sakshi Malik, never received any complaints from any wrestler or protestor.

"Any aggrieved person/wrestler may approach the said committee for grievances if any, which committee is bound to inquire as per law. However, no such complaint of any such nature has been aired by the protestors/wrestlers has been received so far," the letter reads.

"Hence, any such media reports without any specific complaint received can never be taken note of by the WFI Sexual Harassment Committee nor such allegations can be affirmed nor confirmed except to be denied having been so made as a kind of motivated, biased, unfounded, untrue and false allegations solely with a view to harm the President, WFI, or the coaches of WFI," it added.