IWF forms committee to look into sexual harassment charges

Indian Weightlifting Federation constituted a three-member committee to probe into the charges of sexual harassment of junior lifters by an unnamed coach as alleged by Karnam Malleswari.

New Delhi: Indian Weightlifting Federation on Saturday constituted a three-member committee to probe into the charges of sexual harassment of junior lifters by an unnamed coach as alleged by Sydney Olympic bronze medallist Karnam Malleswari.

The committee, to be headed by IWF vice-president Kumbasi Subramanya, will submit the report to the federation within seven days. The other two members of the committee are veteran coach Pal Singh Sandhu and IWF joint secretary Madan Lal Salvi. Malleswari had alleged that a Sports Authority of India coach, who has also been recommended for Dronacharya award, has been sexually harassing junior lifters for more than a decade now. IWF Secretary Sahdev Yadav said the current dispensation had taken charge only in December last year and since then there had not been any complaint of sexual harassment by anybody, including players, against any coach or official. “We took charge only in December last year and we don’t have any complaint by players or anybody about sexual harassment by any coach or officials,” Yadav told reporters. “But we don’t want to ignore anything so we have decided to constitute a three-member committee to look into the allegations,” her added. Yadav, who was the treasurer in the earlier executive committee, said to his knowledge there had not been any complaint of sexual harassment by anybody, including players, against coaches or officials during his tenure as IWF office bearer. The federation also denied that Malleswari raised the sexual harassment issue during the executive committee meeting held in Udaipur in February before the National Senior Championships. “No grievance or objection from any executive committee member had been received in the executive committee meeting (in Udaipur),” it said. The committee though is unlikely to call Malleswari, who is also IWF vice-president, to present his case before the committee. “It is upto the committee to decide. But the committee will mainly look into past records whether there have been complaints of sexual harassment made by anybody, including players, against coaches or officials,” Yadav said. PTI