Athletes demand action against India’s wrestling body’s chief, whom they accuse of sexually harassing female wrestlers.
Top Indian wrestlers have been protesting on the streets of New Delhi for the last ten days about the lack of action taken against Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, the leader of the country’s wrestling federation, whom they accuse of sexual harassment.
Singh, a legislator from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has accused of sexually abusing multiple female athletes but has rejected all charges.
The protesting players have demanded “immediate arrest” and have petitioned the Supreme Court, which has asked the police to file a case against Singh, 66.
Late Wednesday night, athletes camped out at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar protest location, a stone’s throw from Parliament, accused police of assaulting them.
“Because the area was flooded [due to rains], and there was no place to sleep, we decided to bring folding cots.” “A male police officer manhandled and abused us while we were bringing the beds,” wrestler Vinesh Phogat sobbed to reporters.
“After the way they’ve treated us, I wouldn’t want any athlete to win a medal for the country,” she remarked.
Photos and videos circulated on social media late Wednesday night showing police holding a female journalist, barricading the spot, and deploying additional cops.
Why are the wrestlers protesting?
On January 18, wrestlers led by Olympic bronze medalists Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia took to the streets of New Delhi in protest. They accused Singh and numerous governing body coaches of sexually harassing female athletes.
Vinesh Phogat, the Commonwealth Games women’s gold medalist, said that trainers and the head of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) sexually harassed many women.
“Women wrestlers have sexually harassed at national camps by coaches and also by the WFI president,” the 28-year-old athlete claimed in January.
“I know at least 10 to 20 girls in the national camp who have come and told me their stories,” she said to reporters.
On January 20, the wrestlers called off their first demonstrations after the government assured them that an oversight body would investigate the claims. The sports ministry also deprived the WFI’s top echelon of all administrative authority.
However, Malik, India’s first female Olympic wrestler, called the withdrawal of the January protest a “mistake.”
“The report by the oversight committee was not made public, and we have reasons to believe the culprits got a clean chit,” said Malik, who won bronze in the women’s 58kg freestyle at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Protests resumed last month in response to what protestors claim is government inaction. The wrestlers said in a letter to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) chief, PT Usha, that Singh “mentally harassed and tortured” Phogat after she failed to win an Olympic medal in Tokyo in 2021, leading her to consider suicide.
The letter also accused the WFI, which was led by Singh, of financial mismanagement.
Who the main accused?
Singh has led the WFI since 2011, and he is a six-time member of Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP party.
Singh denounced the charges in January as a political tactic to destabilize his position, telling the media that he “ready to hanged” if even one female wrestler proved the sexual harassment charge.
He has accused the wrestlers of being little more than tools in the hands of the enemy.
He also canceled a news conference intended to unveil a “conspiracy” against him, instead sending his son to talk to journalists.
How have the authorities responded?
The administration promised a four-week investigation into the allegations. The report of the probe completed in April, but the conclusions were not made public.
The protests continued last week because the police had not filed a formal complaint against Singh or conducted an investigation against him.
The Supreme Court had asked the police for an explanation as to why the case against Singh had not registered, citing the “serious” nature of the charges.
The New Delhi Police informed the Supreme Court this week that they will file a case against Singh.
The sportsmen have accused Indian Sports Minister Anurag Thakur of “trying to suppress” the problem by appointing an inquiry committee that took no action against Singh despite his vow to probe the charges.
Prime Minister Modi’s government, which ran a drive to increase female empowerment, has also chastised for being silent on the topic.
Who has supported the athletes?
The wrestlers have received support from other sports’ leading Indian athletes as well as leaders of the country’s main opposition party.
The leader of India’s opposition Congress party, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, demanded an investigation into the allegations.
“Our players are the pride of the country. They bring laurels to the country by their performance at the world level. The players have made serious allegations of exploitation against the Wrestling Federation and its president and their voices should heard,” she tweeted.
Tennis star Sania Mirza said the saga was “too difficult to watch” for her “as an athlete but more as a woman” and said she hoped “justice is served.. sooner rather than later”.
Boxing champion Nikhat Zareen said: “It breaks my heart to see our Olympic & World medallists in this state”.
Abhinav Bindra, who won a shooting gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, said the incident highlighted “the crucial need for a proper safeguarding mechanism that can prevent harassment and ensure justice for those affected”.
India’s cricket stars, however, have remained conspicuously silent on the issue.
The recent protests by Indian wrestlers on the streets against the chief of India’s wrestling body have brought to the fore the issue of sexual harassment in sports. The brave athletes have demanded that appropriate action be taken against the accused, who they claim has indulging in such behavior with female wrestlers. These protests are a reminder of the urgent need for strict measures to prevent harassment and abuse in sports and ensure the safety and well-being of athletes. It is time for sports bodies to take a more proactive stance in addressing these issues and to create a safe and supportive environment for all athletes, especially women.
