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NEW DELHI — India’s top wrestler called off a sit-in protest near the parliament building on Saturday after government assurances that the federal investigation into allegations of sexual harassment of a young athlete would be completed in four weeks.
Wrestler Bajran Punia said, “We will end the protests.
The wrestlers and their nearly 200 supporters staged a three-day sit-in at Jantar Mantar, accusing the federation’s president of sexually and emotionally harassing young female athletes. Protesters called for the immediate dismissal of Wrestling Federation of India chairman Brijbhushan Sharan Singh and other officials pending investigations against them.
Late on Friday, India’s sports minister, Anurag Singthakur, held a second meeting with the protesting wrestler and announced an investigation into the accusations made by the wrestler, which he said would be completed in four weeks.
He also said the federation’s president would “stand aside and assist in the conduct of the investigation.”
“Until then, the committee will carry out the day-to-day work of the Indian Wrestling Federation,” he said.
Earlier, Punia wrote on Twitter that the government had promised justice to the players.
“I would like to thank the government on behalf of all our fellow players for taking our agitation and demands seriously,” he said. “Our fight is not against the government. We are all against the players’ federation and its president.”
Federation president Singh, a lawmaker representing the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, said he rejected the charges and was ready to face any investigation.
Image credit: AP
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