Shillong, April 29: Top Indian international wrestlers, including Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, and Sakshi Malik, returned to Jantar Mantar to continue their protest against the WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh three months after they accused him of sexual harassment and the WFI of mishandling funds and mismanagement.
On April 23, the wrestlers returned to Jantar Mantar and claimed that the Delhi Police had declined to file a FIR against Singh following complaints of sexual harassment from seven female wrestlers, including a minor. Until Singh is not arrested, the wrestlers said they won’t leave the protest area.
The national champion wrestlers have demanded that the results of the investigation by the oversight body into the accusations be made public. The panel was established by the Sports Ministry in January following a three-day sit-in by the wrestlers. In relation to the charges of sexual harassment against Singh, the Delhi Police filed two FIRs against him on Friday.
Olympic medalist Bajrang Punia claimed that by depriving protesting wrestlers of food and water, the Delhi Police were “torturing” them. He claimed that the protest site’s power had also been cut off. “Police advised sleeping on the road if you wanted to protest. What type of pressure has been placed on them today? There was never a problem like this” Punia said.
Punia declared that “until justice is served, we will protest no matter how much the police administration tortures us.”
Wrestler Satyawart Kadian claimed that the Delhi Police should have filed a FIR on the first day of their protest.