Malleswari wants IWF secretary sacked

NOIDA - Sydney Olympics bronze medallist Karnam Malleswari said Sunday that Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) secretary Sahdev Yadav should be sacked for not taking timely action against coach Ramesh Malhotra, who has now been suspended on charges of sexual harassment.

Malleshwari, who is the vice president of the IWF, said that Yadav never paid heed to her complaints in the past against Malhotra. She said that Yadav should take the responsibility and resign.

Under pressure, the IWF, in the wake of the sexual harassment case in hockey, sacked Malhotra after Malleshwari alleged that the coach was involved in sexually harassing junior lifters at the national camp at Patiala.

“It is not enough to suspend the coach. The federation secretary should also be sacked since he never took any action against Malhotra despite repeated complaints. If Yadav is not sacked, then people like Malhotra can become coaches again,” Malleswari told reporters here.

Malleshwari said that she first complained against Malhotra at the IWF Executive Committee meeting at Udaipur in February.

“I was assured that action would be taken. But leave alone taking action, he was recommended for the Dronacharya award,” she added.

Malleshwari, who is the nation’s only female Olympic medallist, feels that by recommending Malhotra for the Dronacharya Award, IWF has devalued the prestigious award.

“Considering his past records he should not have been given charge of women lifters. But he was kept at the camp and even taken as women’s coach in the recent junior Asian Championships. By recommending his name for the Dronacharya Award, the IWF was devaluing the prestigious honour,” she said.

Malleshwari said that Malhotra has been harassing women lifters for the past decade.

“Whatever I am saying now was never a secret. Sports Authority of India officials, senior coaches, the federation and the players knew about it all along. At the time all this happened, I was myself an active player and was focussing only on my game. But SAI has several written complaints against him and if they couldn’t act on them them, what could I have done at that time?,” she asked.

–Indo-Asian New Service