A day after ace wrestler Sakshee Malikkh raised concerns regarding the upcoming junior national competitions, the government has suspended the newly-elected Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) panel for the “hasty” announcement.

The Sports ministry’s statement also noted that the newly elected body “appears to be (in) complete control of former office bearers in complete disregard to the Sports Code”.

The business of WFI, the ministry said, is being run from the premises controlled by former office bearers. “Which is also alleged premises wherein sexual harassment of the players have been alleged and (at) present the court in hearing the matter,” it added.

The Sports ministry’s strong rebuke comes days after Sanjay Singh, an aide of former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, succeeded him in the elections for the country’s top wrestling body.

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a six-time BJP MP, had to step aside after the country’s top wrestlers, including Ms Malikkh, accused him of sexually harassing women wrestlers.

The top wrestlers, also including Olympic Games bronze medallist Bajrang Punia and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Vinesh Phogat, hit the streets in January to seek action against the BJP MP. They had called off the agitation following assurances from the government. A probe was also launched against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The WFI elections on Thursday saw Sanjay Singh post a thumping victory against Commonwealth Games gold medallist Anita Sheoran, who was backed by the protesting wrestlers.

Despite assurances that close aides and relatives of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh will not be allowed to contest the polls, the nomination of Sanjay Singh was cleared.

Expressing disappoint at the election results, Ms Malikkh had announced that she is quitting the sport. During an interaction with the media, the 2016 Olympics bronze medallist put her boots on the table and said they had wanted the wrestling body to get a woman chief. “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 had said.

Visuals of her breaking down during the media interaction sparked outrage, with Opposition leaders accusing the government of shielding the ruling party MP despite the serious allegations against him.

The new president Sanjay Singh had said after his victory that he is close to Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and trashed the allegations against him. However, he stressed that he is no dummy candidate for the BJP MP and slammed the protesting wrestlers for “politics”.

In a social media post yesterday, Ms Malikkh said she had quit the sport but was worried about junior women wrestlers. “They are calling me up and telling me that the junior nationals on December 28 are being held at Gonda (in Uttar Pradesh). Gonda is a stronghold of Brij Bhushan. Now imagine what kind of atmosphere the junior women wrestlers will be competing in,” she said in a post on X.

The ministry’s note says the new announcement to hold junior national does not give participants “sufficient notice” and was issued “without following the provisions of the constitution of WFI”.

“The decisions made by the newly elected executive body of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) demonstrate a blatant disregard for the established legal and procedural norms, violating both the WFI’s constitutional provisions and the National Sports Development Code,” it said.

The ministry also noted that the international wrestling body was yet to issue a communication lifting the suspension on WFI. The national wrestling body was suspended after its internal polls were delayed due to the sexual harassment row and court cases.

A man poured petrol on his sister-in-law and set her on fire over a family grudge in Madhya Pradesh’s Ratlam district. The woman, identified as Nirmala, died of severe burn injuries.

The woman’s husband, Prakash, had died by suicide six months ago. Prakash’s elder brother, Suresh, had blamed his sister-in-law for allegedly driving his younger brother to death by suicide.

Since her husband’s death, Nirmala had been living with her two children in her in-laws’ home. Her brother-in-law, however, held a grudge against her as he blamed her for his younger brother’s death, the local police said.

On Saturday, Suresh assaulted the woman and dragged her out of the house, poured petrol on her and set her on fire. She died on the spot, the police said.

“We got a call from Suresh saying ‘we have set your sister on fire’. He used to blame my sister for her husband’s death. They have been threatening to kill her,” Nirmala’s brother told reporters.

“I was going to bring her home today when they called us to say they have killed her,” he said.

The police said they have arrested Suresh.

A video of DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran, which party sources claim is old, can spell trouble for the unity of INDIA bloc at a time when it is gearing up for the big Lok Sabha contest just a few months away.

In a video, the authenticity of which NDTV cannot verify, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran is heard comparing the job prospects of those who have studied only Hindi with those who know English. In this context, he says those who study only Hindi in Bihar “build houses” and “clean toilets” in Tamil Nadu.

“Only because they (people here) studied English, today they earn fat salaries in IT companies. They say ‘Hindi Hindi’. You know well who build buildings. Those who study only Hindi in Bihar build houses for us in Tamil Nadu, sweep roads and clean toilets,” Mr Maran was heard saying in the video that has now gone viral.

I.N.D.I Alliance leader and DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran says Hindi speakers from UP and Bihar come and clean toilets in TN.
Rahul Gandhi and Nitish Kumar must clarify, if this is the stated position of the Congress and JDU too.
I.N.D.I Alliance’s divisive agenda is out in full force… pic.twitter.com/i4wwLbYisW

— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) December 24, 2023

While Mr Maran could not be reached, sources from the DMK have claimed it was an old video that has been recirculated by the BJP. The DMK sources said the BJP has recirculated the video to divert attention from the backlash Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman faces amid her face-off with the Tamil Nadu government over its demand for flood relief funds. 

Hindi imposition is an emotive issue in Tamil Nadu and the DMK has been at the forefront of agitations against alleged attempts to impose Hindi in the southern state.

The video of Mr Maran, meanwhile, has sparked a political row, drawing criticism from leaders of both the BJP and INDIA ally Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Bihar.

Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav condemned the remarks. “This is condemnable. Leaders from other states, irrespective of which party they belong to, should avoid making such remarks. This country is one. We respect people from other states and we expect the same. Such remarks should not be made,” he told the media.

The DMK leader’s viral video drew fire from Union Minister and Bihar leader Giriraj Singh. Mr Singh used the opportunity to launch a scathing attack on the DMK as well as its ally Congress. “The language of Congress and DMK is a language to break the country. People from Bihar, wherever they go, work hard, and it is not a crime to work with self-respect. They contribute to that state’s development,” he said.

The firebrand BJP leader accused DMK of insulting the country and referred to party leader Udhayanidhi Stalin’s comments on Sanatan Dharma that had sparked a huge row. “They have done this earlier. They spoke about finishing Sanatan, now they are targeting labourers. This is unfortunate. and Rahul Gandhi derives enjoyment from such remarks,” he said.

BJP leader Amit Malviya shared the video, saying Rahul Gandhi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar should clarify if the DMK leader’s remarks are in line with their parties’ position. 

Earlier, INDIA parties influential in the northern part of the country were caught on a sticky wicket by Mr Stalin’s Sanatana Dharma remarks. The fresh controversy comes at a time when the Opposition bloc is racing against time to iron out internal conflicts and regional rivalries and gear up for the big fight against a formidable BJP.