Witness Against Brij Bhushan In Sexual Harassment Case Running For WFI President

Anita Sheoran, a key witness in the sexual harassment case against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, is now running for the position of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president.

If elected, she would succeed the BJP MP in this role.

On the last day for filing nominations for the 12 August elections, Sheoran, the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games gold medallist, submitted her candidature.

If Sheoran wins the election, she will become the first woman to lead an ancient Indian sport that has traditionally been dominated by men.

While Indian women have achieved international recognition in wrestling in recent years, decision-making positions have always been held by men.

In the upcoming WFI elections, Sheoran is the only woman among the 50 members on the voters' and candidates' list. She is expected to face competition from two candidates on Brij Bhushan's panel: Jai Prakash, an Olympian and president of the Delhi wrestling association, and Sanjay Singh Bhola from Uttar Pradesh.

Both of these candidates have a longstanding connection with Brij Bhushan, who is currently facing allegations of sexual harassment from six women wrestlers. The case against the former WFI chief is currently being heard by a Delhi court, and he was granted bail approximately a week ago.

The Brij Bhushan camp held a meeting in the capital on Monday, where they claimed to have the support of at least 20 out of the 25 state units, according to a report by The Indian Express.

Jai Prakash expressed confidence in their chances, stating that they are in the process of finalising the candidate for the post. Regardless of the final choice, they believe it will be a unanimous decision.

Sheoran, on the other hand, leads the opposition panel and is believed to have the support of the protesting wrestlers. The government had previously stated that the wrestlers' opinions would carry significant weight in determining the top positions in the WFI. Sheoran was also one of the individuals who supported the allegations of sexual harassment against Brij Bhushan.

The CWG gold medallist had previously informed The Indian Express in June about an incident where one of the complainants had called her from a tournament abroad to discuss how Brij Bhushan had allegedly invited her to his room and forcefully hugged her. Sheoran declined to comment on Monday.

Among the candidates for the upcoming elections, Prem Chand Lochab, the secretary of the Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) and a member of Sheoran's panel, is vying for the position of secretary general.

Dushyant Sharma, a former wrestler from J&K, has filed a nomination for the roles of vice president and treasurer. Devender Kadian, a hotelier from Haryana, has been chosen by the panel as their candidate for the position of senior vice president.

On Brij Bhushan's side, Darshan Lal from Chandigarh has been nominated for the role of secretary general, Satyapal Singh Deshwal from Uttarakhand for the position of treasurer, and Asit Kumar Saha from West Bengal for the position of senior vice president.

In June, the government made a commitment to the protesting wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia that no member of Brij Bhushan's family will be allowed to hold any position in the new governing body.

Brij Bhushan and his son Karan were not included in the electoral roll. Additionally, Vishal Singh, the son-in-law of the BJP MP, will be representing Bihar but is not competing for any position.