'Justice should be delivered to athletes fighting for their rights'

Indian Olympic Associations athletes commission member Om Prakash Karhana on Tuesday came out in support of the protesting wrestlers who had accused WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment and intimidation saying justice should be delivered to athletes who are fighting for their rightsThe 36yearold Karhana a former national record holder shot putter and Asian champion said sweeping the allegations of the wrestlers under the carpet would harm Indian sport as athletes will lose their faith in the systemIm not speaking on behalf of athletes commission but my personal view is that if athletes have come out in the open to fight for their rights the system in the country should take steps to deliver justice to them as soon as possible Karhana who retired last year told PTIEspecially in a case relating to women athletes the authorities should not sweep anything under the carpet Its a serious matter and should be dealt through proper and fair process to find out the truthIt should be black and white regarding who is doing wrong things whether the accused or the accusor said the 2012 London Olympian who has a personal best of 2069mThe Delhi Police took time to register an FIR against Singh after seven wrestlers lodged complaint against him Two FIRs were later registered against Singh on Friday lastKarhana who was the third Indian to cross the 20m mark in mens shot put felt that the wrestlers protest will have impact on Indian sportsI come from a village and in many villages women are still discouraged to take up sports So if the authorities do not take the matter seriously and probe the allegations by women athletes in a fair process no parent will allow them to go out and play sportUltimately it will be the loss of the country as the talented athletes from the villages will not take up sports said Karhana who won the shot put gold at the Asian Championships in 2009 and followed it up with two bronze medals in the 2011 and 2013 editionsAlso read Filing of FIR against Brij Bhushan is first step towards victory WrestlersThe 10member athletes commission has not taken a stand after wrestlers resumed their sitin protest on April 24 A few members though have expressed their solidarity with the wrestlers individually As an institution the athletes commission has not issued a collective statement But some individual members have done thatThe athletes commission with full rights and powers is a new concept so there may be some confusion over its rights and duties Some members are not even fully aware of their roles and responsibilities We are also learning and thats why its taking time We are still discussing the matter and I am hoping that a statement will come from the athletes commissionSix members of the athletes commission including Karhana had a meeting on Saturday and made recommendations to the IOA to put in place proper systems to deal with issues of the athletes with respect and dignityKarhana was not willing to speak on what transpired during the meeting saying only the chairperson or the vice chairperson of the commission can issue public statements I cant speak about the discussions during the meeting But if a commission which is set up for the betterment of the athletes does not look into their issues who else will do That is what I can say he saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever