Wrestling Federation of India office moved out of Brij Bhushan Singh's bungalow

The office of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has been moved out of the residence of the former federation president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Friday.

"The WFI will operate from a new address in New Delhi after vacating Brij Bhushan's premises," a poster read at the entrance of Brij Bhushan's MP bungalow on Ashoka Road.

The new office of the WFI will be located in the Hari Nagar area of New Delhi.

The sports ministry, while suspending the newly-formed WFI panel under president Sanjay Singh on December 24, three days after he was elected for the top post, 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 to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

The ministry also said the new body was working under the "complete control of former (WFI) office-bearers", which was not in conformity with the National Sports Codes.

Sanjay Singh declared the suspension by the sports ministry illegal and decided to challenge it in court. The new body of WFI has also rejected the three-member ad-hoc committee formed by IOA under the chairmanship of Wushu Association of India chief Bhupender Singh Bajwa to run the day-to-day affairs of the federation.

Several top wrestlers, including Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik and World Championship medallist Vinesh Phogat, have levelled allegations of sexual harassment against Brij Bhushan and the case is being heard in the Delhi High Court.

After Sanjay Singh, a close aide of Brij Bhushan, was elected as the WFI chief on December 21, Sakshi announced her retirement in protest against the latest development, while Bajrang returned his Padma Shri award and Vinesh decided to give her Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award back, stating that they did not want any close associate of the BJP MP to run the federation.