IOA forms Mary Kom-led panel to probe sexual harassment charges against WFI chief

Yogeshwar Dutt, Dola Banerjee and Alaknanda Ashok are some members of the seven-member committee.

PT Usha, the president of the Indian Olympics Association (IOA), arranged an urgent meeting on Friday in light of the ongoing protest of the wrestlers against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). The primary motive of the meeting was to discuss the official complaint lodged by the wrestlers addressing the president on Thursday. The members of the executive council also came to an anonymous decision to stay neutral to the investigation and not to get carried away by the media trial going on around the country. 

The EC has decided to honour the request of the athletes and form a committee to look into the allegations of sexual harassment against the male coaching staff in accordance with a 2013 ruling.

Abhinav Bindra and Mr. Shiva Keshavan, IOA Athletes Commission Members were the special invitees in the meeting. 

The situation has worsened as time has progressed on the matter and the IOA took 24 hours to make its first statement. In her first comment on the matter, PT Usha asked the athletes to send a written grievance to the council. 

The wrestlers have already made it clear that if the association cannot solve the issue, they will file an FIR and take the WFI to court. The grapplers are asking the watchdogs to launch a formal investigation and dissolve the WFI altogether.

The meeting lasted for around two hours and the IOA made its mind on the formation of the committee. 

The composition it finally came to was four female and three male/woman Chairperson/two Advocates, one male & one female/two IOA office bearers/Two representatives of NSFs.

The members of the committee are:

Ms. M.C Mary Kom- Chairperson

Ms. Alaknanda Ashok, Vice Chairperson

Mr. Sahdev Yadav - Member

Ms. Dola Banerjee - Member

Mr. Yogeshwar Dutt - Member

Mr. Shlok Chandra, Advocate, Member

Ms Talish Ray, Advocate, Member