Wrestlers march to Gurudwara Bangla Sahib with banners against WFI chief; Vinesh says 'Oversight panel is past'

May 18, 2023 - 00:30

0 14

Wrestlers march to Gurudwara Bangla Sahib with banners against WFI chief; Vinesh says 'Oversight panel is past'

Protesting Indian wrestlers on Wednesday launched a march from Jantar Mantar to Bangla Sahib Gurudwara in New Delhi demanding the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Top Indian wrestlers including Olympic medallists Sakshee Malikkh, Bajrang Punia, and Asian champion Vinesh Phogat, who are are protesting against Brij Bhushan in the national capital since 23 April, were holding a banner during their protest march, which read, “Give justice to daughters of the nation”.

VIDEO | Protesting wrestlers reach Gurudwara Sri Bangla Sahib. pic.twitter.com/uSPZmnQIfb
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 17, 2023

The WFI president has been accused of sexual harassment and two FIRs have been registered against him by the Delhi Police.

After the protest march, Vinesh Phogat said that wrestlers are not bothered about the findings of the ‘oversight committee’ anymore and hope for justice from the court.

The Sports Ministry on 23 January had constituted the committee, which was headed by ace boxer Mary Kom, to look into the allegations against the WFI president. The committee has already submitted its report but the findings have not been made public by the Sports Ministry.

“That is past. We are not deliberating or thinking on what the committee has done or hasn’t. The duration of the committee was three months…it’s over now and the fight has gone to court, so we will focus on that,” said Vinesh.

“We are confident, we will win the fight for justice. We will make our best effort 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 sport,” added Vinesh.

Vinesh also highlighted that the decision of the senior khap panchayat leaders on 21 May will play a big role in the fight against Brij Bhushan.

“Whatever decision is taken by our elders on May 21 (the deadline set by the wrestlers for concrete action against Brij Bhushan) will be binding on us. They will chart our future course of action,” said Vinesh.

On Tuesday, the wrestlers had staged a protest match to a Hanuman temple in Connaught Place from the protest site in Jantar Mantar.

Wrestlers at Hanuman Temple — Wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Sangita Phogat with supporters visit the Hanuman temple at Connaught Place. PTI

Bajrang spoke to the media after the wrestlers’ visit to the temple and urged for help from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah

“I think our voices are not reaching PM Modi. We request him and Home Minister to ensure justice for us. They gave the slogan, ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’. So we request that give justice to these daughters. They are also the nation’s daughters,” Punia said.

“We have come to the temple to seek Bajrang Bali’s blessings so that the daughters of our country get justice at the earliest.”

Vinesh said that the 25-day long protest to get Brij Bhushan arrested is the “country’s misfortune”.

“It is our country’s misfortune. Does every girl of the country need to do a sit-in to get justice. Can’t we punish the guilty, our country cannot be so weak.”

Sakshee Malikkh on Twitter had asked for help from videographers and photographers.

“We need videography/photography volunteers who can support us in our fight for justice. If you’re interested in supporting us please DM,” she wrote.

We need videography/photography volunteers who can support us in our fight for justice.
If you’re interested in supporting us please DM
— Sakshee Malikkh (@SakshiMalik) May 17, 2023