Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday evening met the wrestlers, including Olympic medallists, who are demonstrating at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and assured them action.
The Sports Ministry has sought a response from the WFI “within the next 72 hours” on the sexual-exploitation allegations levelled against Singh by the protesting wrestlers.
Earlier, India’s top wrestlers, including Olympians, who are demonstrating at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, seeking action against the WFI and its chief on Thursday said the Government had not given them “satisfactory response” and they will lodge multiple FIRs against the WFI president if the WFI is not disbanded immediately.
Addressing a Press conference on the second day of their protest, ace wrestler Vinesh Phogat said they haven’t gotten any satisfactory response from the Government.
“Today is the 2nd day of protest and we haven’t got any satisfactory response from the Government. We will make sure Brij Bhushan resigns and is jailed. We will also file a case,” she said. She stated, “We had gone to talk...We do not want to tell now which representative of the Government said what. Our fight is not with the Government or the people of the Government...Our fight is only with one person.”
Some of the top wrestlers who sat on the protest are: Three-time CWG champion Vinesh Phogat and the Olympic bronze medallist duo of Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, Tokyo Olympics silver winner Ravi Dahiya and world championship silver medallist Deepak Punia and several others. Babita Phogat, a 2014 CWG gold mesallist and BJP leader, arrived at the protest and heard the demands of the grapplers.
“I will try to get the solution. I am a wrestler first and then a political person. I know their pain and I will try to get the solution that the wrestlers want,” Babita said.
Bajrang, Anshu Malik, Sakshi and Vinesh have demanded that the WFI be disbanded and a new federation be formed. Wrestlers including Bajrang, his wife Sangeeta, Vinesh, Sarita Mor, Anshu Malik, Antim Pangal were called for a meeting with Sports Secretary Sujata Chaturvedi, a few minutes after Babita left the protest site.
Apart from Chaturvedi, DG SAI Sandeep Pradhan and Joint Secretary (Sports) Kunal were also a part of the meeting with the wrestlers. However, the wresters wanted a concrete and immediate action and decided to continue their protest unless WFI president, a BJP MP, is removed and the national federation is disbanded along with all the State Wrestling Associations in the country.
“Yesterday, we had 1-2 victims amongst us but now we have 5-6 wrestlers, who were harassed (sexually). We can’t name them now, after all they are daughters and sisters of somebody. But if we are forced to disclose their identity, it will be a black day,” said Vinesh, the two-time World Championship medallist.
“It’s not just about his (Brij Bhushan) resignation. We will send him to jail. We did not want to take the legal route, because we had hoped for resolution but if a proper solution is not provided, we will lodge FIRs against him.
“We are world champions and Olympic medallists, don’t suspect us, we are telling the truth, believe us.” The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has called for an Emergency General Council in Ayodhya on Sunday to discuss the issue. “Yes, a meeting has been called and future course of action will be discussed. I can’t say if WFI president will resign or not. It needs to be discussed,” said a WFI official.
“If it happens in a country like India where ‘Durga’ and ‘Lakshmi’ are worshipped. Then I would say that no woman is safe in this country and no daughter should be born to anyone.”
Asked to give details of the meeting they had with the Government representative, Vinesh said,”They did not give any time-frame, just gave assurances.”
“Everything is at stake now. We have not even taken police protection and (are) sitting here. But where is the WFI president; his office (is) locked. Where are those eyes that used to scare us.”
When reminded that London Olympics medallist Yogeshwar Dutt has backed WFI president, along with Asian Championship medallist Divya Karan, Vinesh said, Yogeshwar is definitely sitting in the lap of the WFI and that Kakran herself spoke against the president in the past. We have proof.”
“All the videos (in support of WFI president) are being made where he has that “aatank ka adda’ (hub of terror), people should come and make videos here at Jantar Mantar while sitting in front of the public. “We want the government to take control of WFI and we will not compete in any competition under the current president.” Sakshi Malik said all State wrestling associations should be disbanded in the country because the WFI president has all his men in these sports bodies.