“All Parties Welcome”: Wrestlers, On #MeToo Protest In Delhi, Change Tack

India’s top wrestlers have resumed their protest in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accusing him of sexually harassing several athletes.

The wrestlers who called off their protest earlier this year after assurances that a committee would probe the allegations say that they will remain at the protest site till police file a complaint against Brij Bhushan.

“We will not believe anyone blindly. Last time we were misled. We hope this time there is no politics in this case,” says Vinesh Phogat, the first Indian woman wrestler to win gold at both the Commonwealth and Asian Games.

The protesters also said that this time they will not turn down anyone, and whoever wants to support their protest could come and join them. In January, the protesters had request left leader Vrinda Karat to leave the stage as it was an “athletes protest”.

“This time, all parties are welcome to join our protest whether it is BJP, Congress, AAP, or any other party. We are not affiliated with any party,” Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia said.

Seven women wrestlers have filed a sexual harassment complaint against federation chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh at the Connaught Place police station in Central Delhi. The protesting athletes claim that no action has been taken yet and they will continue their agitation till the police register an FIR in the case.

The wrestlers claim that they had ended their protest in January over “false assurances.”

“We will sit here day and night. Till the time we don’t get justice. We will sit here,” Ms Phogat said, after spending the night on the footpath.

“We have been trying to contact them (Sports Minister Anurag Thakur and other relevant authorities) for three months. The members of the committee are not responding to us, sports ministry has also not said anything, they don’t even pick up our calls. We have won medals for the country and have put our careers at stake for this,” she added.

In January, the sports ministry formed a five-member committee, which was headed by Olympic medallist boxer MC Mary Kom, to investigate the complaints. The committee had been instructed to submit its findings within a month.

Wrestler Sakshee Malikkh expressed frustration over the report on the issue by the panel not being made public yet.

“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, adding that the names of the complainants must not be leaked.

The government panel submitted its report in the first week of April, but the ministry is yet to make its findings public. However, sources said the wrestlers could not prove the sexual harassment allegations against the WFI boss after several hearings.

Several wrestlers had gone public with the accusations against federation chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on January 18. The elite wrestlers had said they weren’t satisfied after talks with the government and “won’t wrestle another day” till their demands are met. Alleging mismanagement in the functioning of the federation, they demanded a complete overhaul 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 hinted that he might look for a new role within the federation. He has served three four-year terms as president in a row and according to the Sports Code after completing 12 years as WFI chief, he is ineligible to contest for the top post.