An army truck was ambushed by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district today. This was the second terror attack on the army in the region in less than a month.

Reports said reinforcements have been sent to the area where the ambush happened. Firing has been going on, reports said.

Shortly after an aide of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh succeeded him in the top post in elections held today, Olympic medallist and ace wrestler Sakshee Malikkh declared that she is quitting the sport.

Sanjay Singh is a long-time aide of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was WFI chief for 12 years. A six-time BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh had to step aside after top wrestlers, including Ms Malikkh, accused him of sexually harassing women wrestlers.

In today’s elections, Sanjay Singh won 40 out of 47 votes. Commonwealth Games gold medallist Anita Sheoran, the protesting wrestlers’ choice for the post of WFI president, got just seven votes.

The country’s top wrestlers, Ms Malikkh, Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia expressed their disappointment at the results.

Breaking into tears during an interaction with the media, Commonwealth and Asian Games Gold medallist Vinesh Phogat said, “Now that Sanjay Singh has been elected chief of the federation, women wrestlers will continue to face harassment.” Ms Phogat said she has “no clue how to find justice in the country”. “The future of our wrestling career is in the dark. We do not know where to go,” she said.

Mr Punia, an Olympic bronze medallist, said it is unfortunate that the “government’s promise to us was not fulfilled”. “We are not linked to any party, we did not come here for politics. We were fighting for truth, but today an aide of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has become the WFI president,” he said.

Ms Malikkh said they had wanted the wrestling body to get a woman chief. “But that did not happen,” she said. “We fought, but if the new president is Brij Bhushan’s aide, his business partner, then I quit wrestling,” the Olympic bronze medallist said, putting her boots on the table. 

In January this year, the three wrestlers led a huge protest at Jantar Mantar, accusing Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexually harassing several wrestlers and demanding action against him.

They called off their protest after the government ordered a probe. The wrestlers were also assured that no aide or relative of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh would be allowed to contest the next polls of the wrestling body. While Brij Bhushan’s son Prateek and son-in-law Vishal Singh did not enter the poll contest, his aide Sanjay Singh’s nomination was cleared.

Sanjay Singh has earlier served as vice-president of the Uttar Pradesh wrestling body. He was part of the WFI’s last executive council and its joint secretary since 2019.

Following his victory in today’s elections, Sanjay Singh said it was a win of truth over lies. “They levelled such allegations against a person whose character does not have a place for those tendencies,” he said.

On a question on whether he is close to the BJP MP, Sanjay Singh said, “Of course, no doubt I am close to him.” Asked about concerns of a section of wrestlers about how the federation would function now, he said, “There will be no injustice against any woman wrestler.”

On Sanjay Singh’s victory, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh told news agency ANI, “I want to give the credit of victory to the wrestlers of the country and the secretary of WFI. I hope that after the formation of the new federation, wrestling events will resume.”

The process for the WFI election began in July, but court cases kept delaying it. This led to the international wrestling body suspending WFI. The Supreme Court recently set aside a stay imposed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, clearing the decks for the polls.

Shortly after his close aide swept the elections to the Wrestling Federation of India, the body’s former chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was accused of sexual harassment by some of India’s top wrestlers, declared “dabdaba tha, dabdaba rahega (I prevailed, I will prevail)”, indicating that his dominance would continue. 

Brij Bhushan’s aide Sanjay Singh got 40 out of the 47 votes in Thursday’s election, defeating Commonwealth Games Gold medallist Anita Sheoran. Ms Sheoran was backed by wrestlers, including Sakshee Malikkh, Bajrang Punia, and Vinesh Phogat, who had protested against Brij Bhushan, a BJP MP. 

Reacting to the election result, Brij Bhushan said it was a victory of the country’s wrestlers and that he hoped wrestling activities which were “stopped for 11 months” – since the protests against him began – would now resume. 

The BJP MP also called Sanjay Singh, who has said he is “definitely close” to the former wrestling federation chief, a non-partisan person. 

“A message has been given. Every akhaada (wrestling academy) in the country is bursting firecrackers. Dabdabaa tha, dabdabaa rahega! I want to give the credit of victory to the wrestlers of the country and the electors. I want to thank the government as well. The elections were done on the instructions of the Supreme Court… the Centre went ahead to make sure elections happened and a non-partisan person was chosen as president,” Brij Bhushan said. 

“This ‘grahan’ (eclipse) of 11 months on wrestling is over. Within 10 days, the landscape of wrestling will change again and we will perform in the Olympics the way people want us to,” he added. 

Mallikh Quits

Reacting to Sanjay Singh’s election, which is being seen as a continuity of leadership in the Wrestling Federation of India, Olympic medallist Sakshee Mallikh put her boots on a table during a press briefing and said that she is quitting the sport. 

Ms Malikkh said the wrestlers had wanted a woman at the helm of the wrestling federation.  “But that did not happen… We fought, but if the new president is Brij Bhushan’s aide, his business partner, then I quit wrestling.” She also broke down as she was leaving the venue of the press conference. 

Asked about Ms Mallikh quitting, Brij Bhushan told ANI, “I have nothing to do with this.”

Vinesh Phogat, who also broke into tears at the press conference, said women wrestlers will continue to face harassment and she has no clue “how to find justice in the country”.

“The future of our wrestling career is in the dark. We do not know where to go,” she added.

‘Victory of Truth’

Sanjay Singh called his election as president of the wrestling federation a victory of truth over lies and, in a reference to Brij Bhushan, he said an attempt was made to tarnish the reputation of a person whose character was spotless.

As his supporters congratulated him, slogans were also raised in Hindi, saying, “Sanjay Bhayya kya lekar chale, Brij Bhushan Singh ke khadau lekar chale (Where is Sanjay Singh going? He is carrying Brij Bhushan’s wooden footwear)”.

Besides the president, a senior vice-president, four vice-presidents, a secretary-general, a treasurer, two joint secretaries and five executive members of the wrestling body were also elected. Most of the people who secured these posts are also seen as belonging to the Brij Bhushan camp.