WFI moves office out of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's residence after strong disapproval from Sports Ministry

The Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) office was moved out of the residence of former president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Friday following a stern remark of disapproval from the Sports Ministry.

The move comes shortly after the Anurag Thakur-led Sports Ministry suspended the WFI Executive Committee and put in it’s place an ad-hoc panel assembled by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). The WFI was suspended just three days after Brij Bhushan loyalist Sanjay Singh had beaten rival Anita Sheoran to the post of president during the federation elections that took place on 21 December.

“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 Centre had raised objections to the federation’s office being located at the residence of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP who had been charged with sexually harassing several female athletes and against whom several of the country’s leading wrestlers had staged sit-in protests over the course of the summer.

The ministry felt the organisation was still under the influence of former office-bearers, which was not compliant with the National Sports Code. That the office remained at Brij Bhushan’s residence at New Delhi’s Ashoka Road was cited as one of the reasons behind the federation’s abrupt suspension.

According to The Times of India, the new office is located in Hari Nagar in the national capital.

When asked about the federation still functioning at a former president’s residence, Sanjay Singh said that the newly-formed Executive Committee needed time to look for a new office space.

“One of the allegations is that the federation is run from his residence. We took over the WFI only two days before, we are looking for a place. If the Sports Mnistry tells us where to go, we will go there immediately. We are also looking for a new office, we are ready to shift immediately,” Singh, who has also served as vice-president of the Uttar Pradesh Wrestling Association, told India Today.

Singh’s appointment as WFI president was met with massive outrage from some of the country’s leading wrestlers, with 2016 Rio Olympics bronze medallist Sakshi Malik tearfully announcing her retirement the very same day the election results were announced.

Later, Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang Punia and two-time world championships bronze medallist Vinesh Phogat would return awards received for their sporting achievements. Punia would leave his Padma Shri on Delhi’s Kartavya Path while Phogat decided to return her Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards on X (formerly Twitter).

Besides the aforementioned trio, Deaflympics gold medal-winning wrestler Virender Singh too opted to return his Padma Shri in protest against Singh’s victory in the WFI elections.

Bhupinder Singh Bajwa, MM Somaya and Manjusha Kanwar have since been appointed by the IOA as the three members to run the Wrestling Federation of India with the Sanjay Singh-led Executive Committee indefinitely suspended.