Delhi: Indian wrestlers are protesting at Jantar Mantar in the national capital against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) revealed that women who alleged Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment are now receiving threats to call off their protest.
Top Indian grapplers such as Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and many other wrestlers are involved in the protest against the WFI chief.
Speaking to The WIRE, the protesting wrestlers said that they were being tortured for raising their voices against a critical issue.
Bajrang Punia even said that justice is being delayed as the committee investigating the matter is also a part of the opposing clan. “They are moulding the facts accordingly and presenting reports that cannot be trusted,” said Punia.
Stating that Mary Kom was a member of the set committee, who herself admitted to facing harassment during her career, Punia said that the amateur boxer wasn’t able to serve justice as she was also under pressure.
When asked about the delay in justice being served, Sakshi said that the accused is a member of the leading party and hence getting the liberty to send threatening messages to the girls to take back their complaint.
She further said that women in the country are no safer as the identity of the complainants is out and hence they are forced to stay within their houses and can’t even fight for justice.
Recalling mental harassment from wrestling camp in 2021, Vinesh Phogat said that she was threatened to the extent that she even thought of committing suicide.
“We didn’t get justice earlier. We were fighting for justice earlier and we are fighting for justice now. We will continue to do so until the accused is punished. So we will continue to protest here.
The girls have blamed him for sexual harassment so an FIR should be registered and he should get punished according to the acts. As you can see nobody came to us we didn’t receive a phone call nobody has told us that we will get justice,” Sangeeta Phogat said.
Commonwealth Games gold medalist Vinesh Phogat also expressed her frustration on Thursday with Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha’s comments on the wrestlers’ protest against the WFI and its president Brijbhushan Sharan Singh.
Earlier, PT Usha said on Thursday that the wrestlers should have approached the IOA instead of going out in the streets against the WFI and its president Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, who the wrestlers accused of sexual harassment and mismanagement of athletes.
“Indian Olympic Association (IOA) is having a committee for sexual harassment, instead of going to the streets they (protesting wrestlers) could have come to us earlier but they did not come to IOA. It is not good for sports not only for wrestlers, they should also have some discipline,” said Usha to the media.
Wrestlers have expressed disappointment with Usha’s comments.
“Being a woman athlete, she (PT Usha) is not listening to other women athletes. We have followed her since childhood and got inspired by her. Where is indiscipline here, we are sitting here peacefully..” Sakshi Malik told mediapersons.
Vinesh Phogat, the CWG and World Championships medalist also called Usha’s comments “insensitive”.
“We live as per the constitution and are independent citizens. We can go anywhere.
If we are sitting out in the streets, there must be some reason, a reason that nobody listened to us, be it IOA or Sports Ministry. Her saying this is insensitive. I even called her, but she did not pick up my phone,” said Vinesh.
Bajrang Punia, the Olympic medalist also said, “You feel sad when she says these things because she is the IOA Chief and a woman herself, she cried for her academy in front of the media. She wants us to approach IOA, but we went there three months back, but no justice was given.”
(with inputs from ANI)
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