A notice has been issued by the Supreme Court to the Delhi Police following a petition filed by wrestlers, including Vinesh Phogat, against Brij Bhushan, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief, for alleged mental harassment.
On Monday, the wrestlers filed a writ petition seeking the registration of an FIR against the President of the Wrestling Federation of India Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for allegedly sexually assaulting the women wrestlers.
On Monday, senior counsel Narender Hooda, who represents the wrestlers, mentioned the petition before a bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud. Because the petition was not on the initial list of listed things on Monday, the CJI directed Hooda to bring it up again on Tuesday. The petition is currently being heard on Tuesday at 10.30 am by a bench led by CJI Chandrachud.
The wrestlers’ appeal cites an unjustified delay in the registration of an FIR by Delhi Police against the WFI president and asks the Supreme Court to issue a directive to the police. “Clearly, the Delhi Police is under political pressure. If this was a regular case, the accused would have been arrested by now. The complainants include a minor, so a case under POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act) should also be registered,” advocate Hooda said.
This comes a day after several top Indian wrestlers resumed their protest at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Sunday, April 23, three months after the allegations were first made public. The protesting wrestlers had levelled an array of accusations against Singh and the federation, including money embezzlement, mental and sexual abuse, threats of death, and sexual exploitation.
Speaking about the matter, Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia said, “This time, all parties are welcome to join our protest, whether BJP, Congress, AAP, or any other party. We are not affiliated with any party.” He added that it is the flag of the country that is held high when the wrestlers win media and not of any party.
“We play and win for the country, not for any party. Not only one party but everyone congratulates us on our win. So, this time, we welcome all parties and countrymen to join our protest,” Punia added.
#WATCH | Delhi: "This time, all parties are welcome to join our protest whether it is BJP, Congress, AAP or any other party…..we're not affiliated with any party…": Bajrang Punia, Olympic medalist on wrestlers' protest against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Singh pic.twitter.com/g2i8T0TaAS
— ANI (@ANI) April 24, 2023
Talking about the protest, Punia said, “If today we don’t fight for the respect of our daughters and sisters, then we won’t be able to fight against anyone ever.”
It may be recalled that the wrestlers had initially launched a protest against the President of the Wrestling Federation of India Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in January this year and again resumed their sit-in protest in Jantar Mantar in Delhi in April 2023. In these few months, in stark contrast to his initial stance of asking politicians to refrain from joining the protest saying that they do not want it to be politicised, wrestler Bajrang Punia has now urged political parties to join the protests.
Notably, on January 19, when Communist Party’s Brinda Karat reached the site where wrestlers had sat on a protest over accusations against the federation chief and several coaches of sexually harassing multiple athletes, Punia had asked her to step down from the stage and not to make the issue political. This time, in contrast, Punia has welcomed people from all political parties, be it the BJP, the Congress, or the Aam Aadmi Party, to join the protest.
Here is a timeline of the Indian wrestlers’ protest against WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh:
- Three months ago on 18 January 2023, a controversy erupted between the president of the Wrestling Federation of India and some Indian wrestlers when the latter held a press conference and levelled an array of accusations against Singh and the federation, including money embezzlement, mental and sexual abuse, threats of death, and sexual exploitation.
- The wrestlers demanded that the wrestling federation be dissolved and Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh resign and be sent to jail.
- Following the protests in January, Brij Bhushan Singh rejected allegations of dictatorship and sexual harassment raised by wrestlers on 18th January 2023. Brij Bhushan Singh has said, “I am ready to face an FIR, or CBI inquiry and even face the highest legal authority in India. I will hang myself if the allegations are found to be true.”
- On January 19, a group of elite wrestlers, including Ravi Dahiya, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Babita Phogat conducted an over-three-hour-long meeting with union sports minister Anurag Thakur in an effort to resolve the issue, but it proved to be inconclusive.
- The wrestlers continued to express their displeasure by holding press conferences. They demanded a meeting with PM Modi.
- On January 20, the Olympic Association, headed by PT Usha, established a seven-member committee to look into the matter and investigate the charges. The panel, led by legendary boxer MC Mary Kom, also included some eminent athletes such as wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, archer Dola Banerjee and Indian Weightlifting Federation president and IOA treasurer Sahdev Yadav. Wrestlers once again met with Anurag Thakur for the second round of talks.
- The WFI chief termed the demonstration the “dharna of Shaheen Bagh” and declared Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh wouldn’t step down from his position.
- Following this, an Oversight Committee was formed by the government on January 23, with star boxer Mary Kom as its head. Yogeshwar Dutt, an Olympic medal-winning wrestler, former badminton player, and member of the Mission Olympic Cell, Rajesh Rajagopalan, a former CEO of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme, and Radhica Sreeman, a former executive director (teams) of the Sports Authority of India, are the other members of the Oversight Committee.
- The committee was tasked with investigating the allegations levelled against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and a one-month deadline was also set.
- The sports minister assured the wrestlers that justice would be delivered to them.
- On January 21, the first round of protests was called off.
After almost 55 days into the controversy, last month, it was announced that the sports minister’s oversight committee would soon submit its report to the ministry, however, till now the findings of the committee have not been made public. A report by the Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar had then quoted sources as saying that the committee tasked with conducting an investigation into the allegations of sexual harassment levelled at the WFI president has not found evidence against him, however, OpIndia cannot confirm the authenticity of the information shared by Dainik Bhaskar.
On Sunday, April 23, several top Indian wrestlers including Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and Vinesh Phogat returned to Jantar Mantar in Delhi to protest against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
It is notable that a complaint has also been lodged at Connaught Place Police Station by several female wrestlers on Friday this week against Singh accusing him of sexual harassment. The Delhi Police has not yet registered an FIR in the matter.
A complaint has also been submitted to the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), taking to Twitter DCW chief Swati Maliwal informed that a notice has been issued to the police.
On Monday, the wrestlers, eventually, knocked the doors of the Supreme Court, seeking the registration of an FIR against the President of the Wrestling Federation of India Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for allegedly sexually assaulting the women wrestlers.
