In what is being called a ‘victory’, the protesting Indian wrestlers have termed the Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) decision to oversee the Wrestling Federation of India’s activities as the “first step” in their fight against former WFI Chief, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. “Our fight for justice has begun in earnest. It’s a victory for us… and we will continue our fight until we get justice,” stated Bajrang Punia, the Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist.
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India’s top wrestlers, including Punia, Sakshi Malik, and Vinesh Phogat, have been demonstrating at Jantar Mantar for the past 22 days, demanding the arrest of Brij Bhushan for alleged sexual harassment of female wrestlers. Despite these serious allegations, Brij Bhushan continues to deny any wrongdoing.
Here are the key developments you should know:
- On May 12, the IOA asked WFI’s secretary general to hand over all official documents, including financial instruments, to its ad-hoc panel, effectively dissolving the current WFI body’s role in the federation’s management. WFI has expressed no issues complying with this order.
- Vinesh Phogat, Asian Games gold medallist, lamented the absence of support from female parliamentarians of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for their cause.
- From May 15, the protesting wrestlers plan to personally hand or email letters to all female BJP parliamentarians, inviting them to stand with them in their fight for the dignity of women.
- Vinesh also urged the public to rally support for their cause by visiting their respective district headquarters on May 16 and submitting a memorandum in support of the wrestlers.
- The IOA’s three-member ad-hoc committee has assured that the process to elect new WFI office bearers will be completed within 45 days.
- Union Minister Anurag Thakur has urged the protesting athletes to trust the law and order system, mentioning that the Supreme Court has already given its judgment.
- Previously, the sports minister was accused of attempting to suppress the issue by forming a committee and failing to take any action.
- On May 12, following the wrestlers’ complaint, a Delhi Police team visited several states to gather evidence against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
- The Delhi Police filed two FIRs on April 28 after receiving a notice from the Supreme Court.
- Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has fervently denied all allegations and accused various forces of fuelling the protest.
This news is based on a Livemint report titled “Wrestlers protest”.
