Top wrestlers in India have continued their protest in Jantar Mantar, Delhi, against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accusing him of sexual harassment. The wrestlers had called off the protest last year after they were assured that a committee would be formed to probe the allegations. Now the wrestlers have said that they will continue protesting until the police file a complaint against Brij Bhushan.
Vinesh Phogat, the first Indian woman wrestler to win gold at the Commonwealth and Asian Games, said that they are not going to believe anyone blindly because last time they were misled. She added that this time there wouldn’t be any politics in this case.
The protesters also said that they will not turn down anyone this time, and whoever wants to support their protest could join them. In January, the protesters requested that left leader Vrinda Karat leave the stage as it was an "athletes protest." Olympic medalist Bajrang Punia said that this time they are welcoming all parties to their protest, including the BJP, Congress, AAP, etc. However, they clarified that they are not affiliated with any party.
Wrestlers Protest Against Sexual Harassment
Seven female wrestlers have filed a sexual harassment complaint against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh at the Connaught Place police station in central Delhi. The athletes said that no action has been taken yet, so they will continue to protest until the police register an FIR against the federation chief, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
The protesters claimed that believing the "false assurance" that was given to them in January, they had ended their protest. Since no action has been taken, they have resumed their protest. After spending a night on the footpath, Vigest Phogat said that they would sit here day and night till they got justice.
She added that they had been trying to contact Sports Minister Anurag Thakur and other authorities for the past three months, but they hadn’t responded. She claimed that the sports ministry wasn’t even picking up their calls. "We have won medals for the country and have put our careers at stake for this," she added.
A five-member committee was formed by the sports ministry in January, headed by Olympic medalist boxer MC Mary Kom, to probe into the sexual allegation complaints. The committee was instructed to report its findings within a month.
Sakshee Malikkh, a wrestler, expressed the protesters' frustration over the report not being submitted yet by the committee. "We want the report, which has recorded women wrestlers' statements, to be public. It's a sensitive issue; one of the complainants is a minor girl," she said. She also added that the names of the complainants must be kept confidential.
The government panel submitted its report in the first week of April, but the ministry hasn’t made the findings public yet. However, certain sources claimed that the wrestlers were unable to prove the sexual harassment allegations even after several hearings.
Many wrestlers publicly accused Federation chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on January 18 of sexually harassing several athletes. They claimed that they weren’t satisfied with the talks with the government and wouldn’t wrestle for another day until their demands were met. They demanded a complete overhaul of the federation after alleging that there is mismanagement in the functioning of the federation.
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has said that he will not contest for the president’s post in the WFI election on May 7, but he has hinted that he might look for a different role within the federation. He had served as president of WFI three times, for four years in a row. After 12 years of being the WFI chief, he is now ineligible to contest for the post.
Suggested Reading: Top Women Wrestlers Accuse WFI Chief Of Assault: Vinesh Phogat Protests
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