Bhiwani village panchayat invites WFI former chief, then cancels programme

Hisar, August 3

The scheduled visit of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chairperson Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is facing charges of sexual harassment, to Kalinga village of Bhiwani district on August 7 has been cancelled for now.

The former WFI chief and six-time BJP MP was invited by some residents of Kalinga village in Bhiwani district to accord him civic reception.

The Delhi police had booked Singh on April 28 on the complaint of women wrestlers, mostly from Haryana, months after a group of Olympians and international level wrestlers, including Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, organised a dharna in Delhi demanding the disbanding of the WFI and action against him.

The Delhi court will start hearing arguments from August 9 on the framing of charges against him.

Ramesh, sarpanch of Kalina village, said they had cancelled the programme for now and a new date would be fixed for organising the event after August 15. “The Bhiwani district administration today imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC in the aftermath of the violence that occurred in Nuh district. Thus, in view of the prohibition, we have decided to cancel the programme and conveyed it to the MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The programme to accord him civic reception would be organised later, possibly after August 15,” he told The Tribune.

The sarpanch informed them that they had close ties with the MP and they wanted to honour him for his contribution for the promotion of wrestling in the country. He said whenever it takes place in future, it will be a social function which will be attended by people from Kalinga and adjoining villages, he said.