None of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's family members to contest WFI elections

The family members of outgoing WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh will not contest the upcoming federation elections despite eligibility, reliable sources told PTI on Tuesday.

The Wrestling Federation of India elections will be held on July 6 for the post of president, senior vice-president, four vice-presidents, secretary-general, treasurer, two joint secretaries, and five executive members.  

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur had assured the protesting wrestlers that neither Singh's family members nor his associates will be allowed to contest the impending elections, following which they had halted their protest till June 15.

Singh's son Karan Bhushan heads the Uttar Pradesh Wrestling Association while his son-in-law Aditya Pratap Singh is head of the Bihar unit.

"They had a discussion and have decided that neither his son Karan nor his son-in-law Aditya will file nominations for WFI elections," a source close to the Singh family said.

"In the current circumstances, it is not advisable to do something that further fuels the controversy," said the source.

Both Karan and Aditya will, however, participate in the elections and exercise their voting rights. 

Singh, 66, has been accused of sexual harassment and intimidation by country's top wrestlers, including Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia.

The Delhi police has filed two FIRs against him and is likely to file a charge-sheet in the case soon.