In January, India’s greatest wrestlers protested at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. These wrestlers have won Olympic medals and are the greatest in the world. They were marching in opposition to the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and its president, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. They ended their demonstration after being guaranteed that action would be taken. However, they returned to protest after nothing came of it.
If you’re wondering what the protest is all about and what’s going on, here’s all you need to know about why the country’s finest wrestlers are protesting.
How It Began
On January 18, Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, and Sakshi Malik protested against the WFI and Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in Jantar Mantar. Wrestlers claimed Singh and other instructors sexually abused female athletes. According to other allegations, the accused also made death threats. “I can name at least ten girls who were sexually harassed and molested in the national camps,” Vinesh Phogat said in a statement. Because of the fear, no one comes forward. A handful of the girls sitting next to me have also experienced it.”
The Establishment of the Oversight Committee
While Singh denied the allegations, the Sports Ministry, led by Anurag Thakur, demanded a 72-hour explanation from the WFI. After the wrestlers demanded an official investigation on January 20, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) formed a seven-member committee led by Mary Kom, which included Yogeshwar Dutt, Dola Banerjee, Sahdev Yadav, Talish Ray, Shlok Chandra, and Alaknanda Ashok. While the WFI denied the allegations, the Sports Ministry assured the wrestlers that their concerns would be addressed and that a committee would be formed. On January 21, the wrestlers called off their protest.
The Oversight Committee is constituted, led by Mary Kom, and given four weeks to investigate the claims. Bajrang Punia said that the protesting wrestlers were not consulted prior to the formation of the committee, as promised.
The Oversight Committee didn’t submit a report.
The Committee was expected to deliver its findings on February 23, but they pushed it back to March 9. Singh denied all charges during a meeting with the Oversight Committee. On March 12, the committee failed to issue a statement, citing the fact that they were dealing with a’sensitive subject.’
Wrestlers elected to forgo the Ranking Series tournaments while all of this was going on. They skipped two such occasions. In view of the recent happenings, the United World Wrestling (the global wrestling governing body) denied India the opportunity to host the 2023 Asian Wrestling Championships. The event took place in Kazakhstan from April 9 to April 14.
The police department does not file a FIR.
On April 16, Singh says that he will not run for WFI president but will instead run for another position in the organisation. According to the BBC, the committee filed its report in April, but its conclusions have yet to be made public. After the committee failed to produce a single report in two months, the protestors returned to Jantar Mantar on April 23 to continue their fight. They filed a complaint at the Connaught Place Police Station.
“We filed a complaint at the CP Police Station,” Sakshi Malik explained. It’s been two days, but no FIR has been filed. Seven women, including a juvenile, filed complaints. It appears to be a POSCO case, but nothing has been done.”
The Supreme Court has begun hearings.
In a historic decision, the Supreme Court consented to consider the petitions brought by the protesting wrestlers. On April 25, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud stated that the charges were serious and warranted examination by the court. Senior counsel Kapil Sibal stated again that no FIR was filed.
Since then, the wrestlers have continued their protest at Jantar Mantar while also training there in the morning.
The wrestlers have found support from a handful of athletes but the silence from the others is deafening.