Sexual Harassment: At Jantar Mantar on Wednesday, prominent Indian wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, and Vinesh Phogat protested the Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) operations (January 18).
Olympic bronze medalist Bajrang criticised the federation on Twitter, claiming that the players are being bullied by the organization’s arbitrary laws. As its representatives headed to Jantar Mantar to meet the wrestlers, the Wrestling Federation of India took note of the protest.
BJP की दरिंदगी का शिकार देश की बेटियां‼️
Wrestler Vinesh Phogat और Sakshi Malik ने BJP MP एवं WFI President Brijbhushan Singh पर लगाया यौन शोषण का आरोप!
Haryana खेलमंत्री Sandeep Singh पर भी लग चुका है Sexual Harassment का आरोप!
BJP नेता हर जगह बेटियों को नोचने को हैं तैयार। pic.twitter.com/K7GgFrjCzi
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) January 18, 2023
Vinesh Phogat, a gold medalist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, tweeted: “The player seeks respect for himself. The players put their all into training for the Olympics and other major competitions, but if the federation does not support them, the morale suffers. Now, however, we refuse to submit. fight to protect our rights.”
Top wrestlers from the nation, including gold medalist Vinesh Phogat from the 2022 Commonwealth Games and bronze medalist Bajrang Punia from the Tokyo Olympics, staged an unprecedented four-hour dharna at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Wednesday in protest of the alleged “dictatorship” of national federation president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
The group of wrestlers in protest stated that they would not tolerate Singh’s management of the Wrestling Federation of India. Singh is also an MP for the BJP from Kaiserganj in the state of Uttar Pradesh (WFI). The wrestlers made it clear that Singh’s WFI presidency was the only issue being protested, not the WFI itself or the government.
Coaches are harassing women, and some coaches who are favourite of the federation misbehave with women coaches as well. They sexually harass girls. The WFI president has sexually harassed so many girls: Wrestler Vinesh Phogat pic.twitter.com/AqUetaXsGa
— ANI (@ANI) January 18, 2023
What are the wrestlers demanding?
The protesting wrestlers’ main and most pressing demand is that WFI President Brij Bhushan Singh be fired from his position. Singh has been in charge since 2011 and was chosen to serve as president for a third time in February 2019.
They have also demanded new trainers and physios for upcoming sessions, as well as a relocation of the training facility to Delhi. Currently, the wrestlers are in Lucknow.
