New Delhi: London Olympic bronze medallist Yogeshwar Dutt on Friday launched a scathing attack on the IOA ad-hoc panel for exempting six protesting wrestlers from Asian Games and World Championship trials, and questioned if these wrestlers were agitating to get such favours.
The panel had communicated to Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, his wife Sangeeta Phogat, Sakshi Malik, her husband Satyawart Kadian and Jitender Kinha on June 16 that they will have to just wrestle with the winners of the trials in their respective categories to book their slots in the Indian teams.
The panel also promised them that their one-bout trials will be conducted in August, as requested them.
Dutt, who is a BJP leader, said the panel, headed by Bhupender Singh Bajwa, had done injustice to the junior wrestlers by taking such a step.
Dutt, who was part of the six-member oversight committee tasked by the sports ministry to initially probe the sexual harassment charges against WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, said if the panel had to grant exemptions for trials then there were several other deserving candidates.
“Ravi Dahiya is an Olympic silver medallist and also a CWG gold medallist, Deepak Punia is a CWG gold medallist, Anshu Malik is a World silver medallist, Sonam Malik is also there along with many more (achievers).
“I don’t understand why these six wrestlers have been given the exemption. This is absolutely wrong. This was not done even in the previous WFI set-up.”
Dutt is Brij Bhushan’s lackey: Vinesh Phogat
Top Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat said the wrestling world will remember Yogeshwar Dutt for being a spineless lackey of outgoing WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, hours after the London Olympic medallist questioned the exemption granted to her and five others from the Asian Games and World Championships trials.
Phogat also alleged that Yogeshwar had laughed off the sexual harassment complaints against the WFI chief during the oversight panel hearings where he told one of the women wrestlers that “such things happen”.
“The whole wrestling world understood that Dutt was eating the leftover from Brij Bhushan’s plate. If anyone raises voice against injustice in the society, then Dutt definitely vomits,” Vinesh wrote on her official Twitter page.
The fiery Vinesh, double Asian Games and triple CWG gold medallist didn’t stop short of calling Dutt, a Brij Bhushan lackey and someone who has betrayed his own fraternity.
“Wrestling world will always remember you for licking the feet of Brij Bhushan,” she wrote.
Allegations of deplorable behaviour towards female wrestlers
Vinesh also alleged that Dutt tried to mentally disintegrate the complainants during the hearings.
“When I heard Dutt’s ugly laugh, it stuck in my mind. He was a part of both the committees, formed to probe allegations (by wrestlers). When women wrestlers were narrating their ordeals in front of the committee members, he used to laugh,” the cousin of BJP leader Babita Phogat, remarked.
Vinesh also alleged that Dutt asked female wrestlers to agree to a compromise and drop charges against Singh.
“He also called the family members of many women wrestlers and told them to keep their daughters under control. He was already publicly giving statements against women wrestlers, yet he was kept in both committees,” Vinesh pointed out.
She accused Yogeshwar of making unsavoury remarks about the ‘jawans’ in Indian Army, students, and people from minority communities.
“Earlier he made cheap comments about farmers, jawans, students, Muslims, Sikhs and now he is engaged in defaming women wrestlers.”
Poisonous snake, Vinesh attacks Dutt
Vinesh said Yogeshwar hasn’t been able to win any election because he is a traitor and a “poisonous snake”.
“Because of betraying society, you have fallen on your face twice in the elections. And I challenge that you will never win an election in your life, because the society is always careful of poisonous snakes and never lets it set foot.”
Vinesh warned Yogeshwar that he better not try to break the mental fortitude of women wrestlers as they can’t be defeated by an “insensitive person” like him.
“Don’t apply force to break women wrestlers’ resolve, they have very strong intent. You might end up with a broken back. You have already put your spine in Brij Bhushan’s feet. You are a very insensitive person, who is flattering a tyrant,” she added.
