Wrestlers’ protest: A long wait for justice

The wrestlers’ protest against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) Chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for allegedly sexually harassing athletes has been going on for four months now but there seems to be no solution in sight.

On May 22, the wrestlers said that they were ready to undergo a narco test under the supervision of the Supreme Court. The wrestlers said the test should be done on themselves and Brij Bhushan Singh under the supervision of the apex court and it should be telecast. Singh had earlier said on May 21 that he was ready to undergo a narco or polygraph test if the same test was conducted on wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia.

In January, the wrestlers’ initial protests were called off after the Centre’s assurance that the allegations would be investigated with the formation of a committee. But the agitation restarted in April when the committee’s report was not made public.

The protesters resumed their agitation with renewed vigour on April 23 and accused the government of inaction due to the fact that Singh belonged to the ruling party. The wrestlers are demanding that Singh be arrested and that the committee’s report be made public.

Highlights

The wrestlers’ protest against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) Chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for allegedly sexually harassing athletes has been going on for four months now.
On May 22, the wrestlers said that they were ready to undergo a narco test along with Brij Bhushan Singh under the supervision of the Supreme Court.
The wrestlers accused the government of inaction due to the fact that Brij Bhushan Singh belonged to the ruling party.

The top wrestlers sitting on a dharna at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, a stone’s throw from Parliament, include Vinesh Phogat and Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik.

Phogat recently said that she and the other wrestlers would ensure that they get justice. “We are confident we will win the fight for justice,” she said. “We will make our best effort so that not just the global wrestling community gets to know about our plight, but we will also reach out to athletes in other disciplines. No country has remained untouched by incidents of sexual harassment in sports.”