The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Thursday (June 4, 2026) suspended five wrestlers, including U20 Asian Championship trails winner Deepanshu, for four years after their birth certificates were found to be fake during a verification exercise in its crackdown on age fraud in the sport.
Deepanshu, who had won the men’s freestyle 65kg event on Wednesday (June 3, 2026), has been replaced by Pawan Balaji Dhayagude in the squad for the championship, starting June 27 in Pattaya, Thailand.
The other suspended wrestlers are Tanuj Antil, Baljot Singh and Nikhil Dalal and Saket Drall, who reached the final of the 86kg trials. He was removed from the final and was replaced by Sahil Dalal, who eventually grabbed the place in the Indian team.
In an order issued by WFI president Sanjay Kumar Singh, the federation said it had taken a “very serious view” of wrestlers submitting forged birth certificates to gain eligibility for participation in National Wrestling Championships.
WFI said discrepancies in birth certificates had surfaced in several cases in recent months, leading to suspensions and widespread reporting in print, electronic and social media.
“Despite the action already taken, some wrestlers allegedly continued attempting to compete in national events by submitting alternative or fabricated documents,” WFI said in its notice.
The federation said verification conducted with the Registrar (Birth and Death), Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, confirmed that the birth certificates submitted by the five wrestlers were not genuine and that corresponding records could not be traced in official registers.
Terming the violations serious, the WFI announced disciplinary proceedings against the wrestlers and suspended them from all wrestling-related activities under its aegis for a period of four years with immediate effect.
The latest action comes amid the federation’s efforts to curb age manipulation, an issue that has long plagued age-group competitions in Indian wrestling.
Show-cause notice to referee commission member
In a separate development, the WFI issued a show-cause notice to referee Jaibir, a member of the WFI Referee Commission, alleging conflict of interest and misconduct during the Asian Games selection trials in Lucknow on May 31.
According to the notice, Jaibir had been appointed as a referee for the trials and was officiating on the mat where Greco-Roman bouts were conducted. During the competition, his son, Ronak Dahiya, participated in the 130kg Greco-Roman category.
The federation alleged that during the final bout of the 130kg event, Jabir removed his referee kit and assumed the role of coach for his son while continuing to remain associated with the event as an appointed referee.
WFI said such conduct amounted to a serious conflict of interest and was contrary to the principles of neutrality, impartiality and professional ethics expected from a technical official.
The federation has asked Jaibir to submit a written explanation by June 10 as to why disciplinary action should not be initiated against him.
As Jaibir is currently officiating at the third Ranking Tournament in Mongolia, scheduled to conclude on June 9, the WFI has permitted him to continue his duties there. However, he will stand temporarily suspended after the tournament pending a final decision by the federation.
The WFI maintained that officials must disclose any potential conflict of interest and recuse themselves from duties that could compromise the integrity and fairness of competitions.
Published – June 04, 2026 07:37 pm IST
