Top Indian wrestlers have been protesting on the streets of New Delhi for the last 10 days over the lack of action against the head of the country’s wrestling federation, Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, whom they accuse of sexual harassment.
India’s top female wrestlers, and they’re calling for more action to be taken against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), who they accuse of sexual harassment.
A powerful lawmaker and politician from India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Singh denies all claims of sexual harassment.
Last week, following protests and intervention by the country’s Supreme Court, Delhi police registered two cases against Singh, including the alleged sexual harassment of a minor. But the wrestlers say that’s not enough – they want him dismissed by the WFI and say they’ll camp at their protest site until that happens.
“We’re Olympians, gold medalists, world champions,” said protest co-leader, two-time Olympian Vinesh Phogat. “There’s been a grave injustice. We’ve dedicated (our lives) to our country.”
In January, India’s sport ministry said it would investigate the sexual harassment allegations, but three months on, the wrestlers say the government hasn’t moved swiftly enough.
“We realized we have just one avenue left … to appeal to the public,” said Phogat, a member of one of India’s most well-known wrestling families. “If we get public support, then at least we’ll know the country stands with us.”
What happened?
The allegations against Singh first came to light in January, when several leading wrestlers demanded an inquiry into claims of sexual harassment by younger athletes against him.
Commonwealth Games women’s gold winner Vinesh Phogat said coaches and the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) have sexually harassed multiple women.
“Women wrestlers have been sexually harassed at national camps by coaches and also the WFI president,” the 28-year-old athlete said in January.
“I know at least 10 to 20 girls in the national camp who have come and told me their stories,” she told reporters.
In a letter addressed to the president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and shared on Twitter, five leading wrestlers said they wanted to create a “safe and secure place” for young wrestlers, especially sportswomen.
The signatories included Phogat, who claimed in the letter that she was “mentally harassed and tortured” by Singh after she missed out on a medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The same year she took gold at the Asian Wrestling Championships, adding to gold medals earned earlier at Asian and Commonwealth Games.
Soon after the letter was made public, Phogat and others took to the streets, demanding Singh’s dismissal. At the time, the WFI denied the allegations but said an inquiry was underway.
India’s sports ministry said it would look into the claims and Singh was asked to step aside for a few weeks. The wrestlers stopped their protest as a result, but three months on Singh hasn’t been stood down.
Olympic medalist Sakshi Malik told CNN that back in January the wrestlers’ allegations were met with apathy, adding there was no transparency with the governing body’s initial investigation.
Sources: CNN, Al Jazeera