The country’s top wrestlers on Thursday vowed to intensify their protest, saying the government has given them an assurance but not a “satisfactory response”. The wrestlers said they will lodge multiple FIRs against Wrestling Federation of India president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh if the WFI is not disbanded immediately.
The wrestlers who have accused the WFI president of sexual exploitation and intimidation, continued their dharna for the second day as more grapplers joined the sit-in protest in what they called was a fight to give “a new life to Indian wrestling”.
A group representing the protesting wrestlers, including Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Anshu Malik, Sakshi Malik, and her husband Satyawrat Kadiyan, was then called for a meeting with Sports Secretary Sujata Chaturvedi, Sports Authority of India director general Sandip Pradhan and Joint Secretary (Sports – Development) Kunal.
During the one-hour meeting, the wrestlers were asked to end their protest and assured that their grievances will be addressed. However, the wresters wanted concrete and immediate action and decided to continue their protest unless the WFI president is removed and the national federation is disbanded, along with all the state wrestling associations in the country.
The wrestlers were later called for a meeting with Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur. The marathon meeting, which began around 10 pm and went on till 1:45 am early Friday, remained inconclusive. The wrestlers will meet the sports minister again later Friday, according to government officials.
Thus far, the concrete action taken by the Sports Ministry was to direct the WFI on Thursday to furnish a reply within 72 hours on the allegations made against the body and its chief.
In its communication to WFI, the ministry stated that “since the matter pertains to the well-being of athletes, the ministry has taken a very serious view of the matter”.
The ministry has further stated that if WFI fails to furnish the reply within the next 72 hours, the ministry will proceed to initiate action against the federation in terms of the provisions of the National Sports Development Code, 2011.
The protest has come alongside startling revelations by star wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik who accused Brij Bhushan, a five-time Member of Parliament, of sexually exploiting women wrestlers for several years.
Vinesh and Sakshi also accused several national coaches of sexual exploitation of several wrestlers, including underage athletes, in national wrestling camps.
Tokyo Olympics Silver medallist Ravi Dahiya pleaded for more support while young Anshu Malik, an Asian Championship Gold medallist, narrated how the WFI president’s presence in the players’ hotel in Bulgaria during the world junior championship last year made the women wrestlers uncomfortable.
“WFI president stayed on the same floor and across the room from the junior girls at the Junior World Championships. He would leave his door open. Every girl was made uncomfortable,” said the 21-year-old wrestler, who won Silver at the World Championships in 2021 and Commonwealth Games in 2022.
“We want the federation removed,” Anshu added.
Praveen Dahiya, who coached Ravi Dahiya, said that the sexual harassment allegations made by Vinesh Phogat are serious as no one says such things without reason.
“All those wrestlers sitting are honoured with Arjuna Award and many medals in all competitions. These players have made India proud in the whole world. If such big players are making such big allegations there must be some truth to it. This matter should be investigated and the truth should come in front of everyone and if anyone is guilty then he should be punished,” said Dahiya.
Apart from the sexual abuse allegations, wrestlers have also alleged that the WFI is being sun in an arbitrary manner, accusing the WFI chief of “dictatorship”. Alongside Phogat at the protest, Bajrang Punia said that the fight was to “save Indian wrestling” and was not against the “government or the Sports Authority of India (SAI)” but against WFI. Another wrestler said the “dictatorship will not be tolerated”.
WFI AGM
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) and executive committee meeting of the WFI will be held on Sunday, January 22 in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. Brij Bhushan will also take part in the meeting.
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