India’s most esteemed female wrestlers, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik, accused BJP MP and Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment.
While speaking to media behalf of the women wrestlers allegedly exploited – the wrestlers staged a dharna at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi – Vinesh Phogat, the country’s only double World Championship medallist, said, “Women wrestlers have been sexually harassed at national camps by coaches and also the WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan. Some of the coaches appointed at national camps have been sexually harassing women wrestlers for years. The WFI president is also involved in sexual harassment.
Sharing the stage with Vinesh and endorsing the allegations, India’s lone Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik said, “We have just come to save them. For them, we are fighting. We will speak up when it's time. We will offer the person conducting the investigation the identities of those who were taken advantage of.”
Vinesh provided specifics regarding the alleged abuse of national and international wrestlers by the WFI president and coaches. “This exploitation is happening every day. Why does the camp happen in Lucknow? We have written to the PM and the Sports Minister … The reason it’s happening over there is because he has a house there and so it’s easy to exploit the girls. They trouble us too much. They get into our personal lives and relationships. They want to know everything,” she said.
Others supporting the wrestlers and also protesting against what they called the “dictatorial practices” of the federation were Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia, Olympian Anshu and world junior silver medallist Sonam Malik. Bajrang’s wife and national-ranked wrestler Sangeeta Phogat was also present.
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Boxing great and Olympic medallist Boxing great Mary Kom will be leading the sports ministry's Oversight Committee to manage day-to-day affairs of wrestling body amid #MeToo row. The ministry had directed the Wrestling Federation of India to suspend "all ongoing activities with immediate effect", including the Ranking Tournament in Gonda, UP, Sharan's stronghold. It also suspended Wrestling Federation of India's (WFI) assistant secretary Vinod Tomar, a fallout of the grapplers' allegations of sexual harassment and corruption against the sports body's chief, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.