A day after Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat accused Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexually harassing women wrestlers, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Thursday came out in support of the players protesting against the WFI.

Hooda said it is a matter of great misfortune and shame that players, the pride of the country, have to protest on the streets today.

The Leader of Opposition in Haryana Assembly said allegations against the officials of WFI are serious and worrying. “The government should take strict action against the culprits by conducting a fair and transparent investigation,” he added.

Hooda said the sports persons who bring glory to the country, are also being forced to sit on dharna. “Serious allegations have been levelled against the wrestling federation and its president by women wrestlers. The Wrestling Federation should be dissolved and all the accused should be brought under investigation,” he said.

The Congress leader said that all these wrestlers are the players of the country, but the state government should also remember that most of the players belong to Haryana.

“It is the responsibility of the state government to protect the rights of the sportspersons and stand with sportspersons, but the silence of the Haryana government in this matter is very disappointing. The state government has earlier also kept silent in cases like sexual harassment, be it the allegations levelled against the Sports Minister of the state or the allegations levelled against the Wrestling Federation of India,” he said.

Hooda has demanded that the Central government should take further action considering the demands of the players without delay.

One of India’s most decorated women wrestlers, Phogat, was yesterday joined by other top wrestlers, including Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, at a protest in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar against the Federation and Singh, who denied the allegations.

The three-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist also accused Singh of calling her a ‘khota sikka’ after defeat in the Tokyo Olympics. She claimed to have received death threats from people close to Singh and said at least 20 women had been sexually exploited by him.