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Babita Phogat attacks Sakshi Malik, calls her ‘Congress puppet’

June 18, 2023, 2:55 pm

Olympian wrestler and BJP leader Babita Phogat issued a statement on her Twitter handle on Wrestler Sakshi Malik’s video, posted on Saturday, calling her a “Congress puppet”.
In the video posted yesterday, Sakshi Malik and wrestler Satyawart Kadian thanked Babita Phogat for supporting the wrestlers’ protest and serving as a mediator between the wrestlers and the central government in the video that was posted yesterday. Babita Phogat disputed the assertions made by Sakshi Malik and her husband in a tweet.

“Yesterday I felt very sad and laughed too when I was watching the video of my little sister (Sakshi Malik) and her husband, first of all I want to make it clear that the permission paper which was shown by her, I have nothing to do with it and neither it has my signature,” Babita Phogat wrote in her tweet.

“I have been saying from day one that have faith in the Prime Minister and the judicial system of the country, the truth will definitely come out. As a female player, I was always with all the players of the country and will be, but I was against the protest from the beginning. I had told all the wrestlers that you should meet Prime Minister or the Union Home Minister, and the solution will come from there only,” Babita said.She also alleged that Congress leaders are using the emotions of protesting wrestlers for political benefits. Babita also attacked Sakshi and called her a “Congress puppet”.”But you found your solution in @DeependerSHooda @INCIndia and @priyankagandhi, and others who themselves are guilty of rape and other cases, but the people of the country have now recognized the faces of the opposition. The opposition should now answer to all those soldiers, farmers and women wrestlers with whose emotions they have played for their political benefit.

Delhi police ask for proofs and chats related sxual harassment case against WFI chief from wrestlers

June 11, 2023, 2:43 pm

The Delhi Police has asked women wrestlers who have accused BJP MP and Wrestling Federation of India boss Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment to give proof in the form of images, videos, or WhatsApp chat messages. In addition, the police served the complainants with a CrPC 91 notice requesting pertinent documentation.

The wrestler referred to as “minor” was not a minor at the time of the event and has since given a new statement in court. As per reports, Her complaint of sexual harassment has not changed, notwithstanding the changes to the age-related information. The father acknowledged this and emphasised the need for the accused’s arrest and in-custody questioning, expressing worries that his powerful position may obstruct the inquiry and intimidate the complainants and witnesses.”An impartial probe can’t be conducted without Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s arrest,” she said.

Farmers to gather in UP tomorrow for wrestlers after Haridwar pull-back

May 31, 2023, 3:30 pm

A significant gathering of farmers has been organised for Thursday in the town of Sauram in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district to address the recent protests by some of the top wrestlers in the country who have accused the head of their federation of sexual harassment.

The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) and Balyan Khap leader Naresh Tikait have said that the wrestling protest will be the main topic of discussion during the mahapanchayat at the historic Sauram Chaupal.

The wrestlers, who started their protest in New Delhi in January of this year, want the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) to take action against Brij Bhushan Singh, who has been accused of harassing female athletes sexually.

Top wrestlers, including Olympic medalists Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and Asian Games winner Vinesh Phogat, congregated on the banks of the Ganges River in Haridwar on Tuesday in a stunning turn of events.

They had threatened to throw their Olympic and World medals into the sacred river in protest at the BJP’s Member of Parliament, Mr Singh’s treatment.

By promising a solution in five days, Mr Tikait and other Khap and farmer leaders were able to persuade them to wait.

Mr Tikait, in his message to the media, praised the athletes, saying, “Because of them, we hold our heads high in the international sports arena.

Different khaps and their heads from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Delhi are expected to be present in the Mahapanchayat to decide the next step regarding the wrestlers protest.

‘Going to Haridwar to throw our medals in Ganga’ say wrestlers

May 30, 2023, 3:58 pm

The ongoing wrestlers’ protest in the national capital has taken a new turn, with India’s top grapplers Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and Vinesh Phogat pledging to throw their medals in the Ganga on Tuesday evening in Haridwar.

The wrestlers took to Twitter to express their displeasure with the recent events and the way authorities handled the situation. The protesting wrestlers have stated that they will travel to Haridwar on Tuesday and throw their medals into the Ganga at 6 p.m. They have stated that after throwing their medals, they will go on hunger strike at India Gate.

Wrestlers wrote in their post that “You saw everything that happened on May 28, how police treated us and the way they arrested us. We were protesting peacefully, our place has been taken away and the next day serious cases and FIR were filed against us. Have the wrestlers committed any crime by demanding justice for the sexual harassment that happened to them? The police and the system are treating us like criminals, while the oppressor is taking jibe moving freely. He is even openly talking about changing the POSCO Act.”

Several top wrestlers, including Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, and Sakshi Malik, have been protesting Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accusing him of sexual harassment and demanding his arrest.
They also questioned how the female wrestlers were forced to hide for the entire day.

“Yesterday, many of our women wrestlers were hiding in the fields. The system should arrest the oppressor but it is engaged in breaking and intimidating the victim women to end their protest,” the grapplers claimed.

They went on to say that these medals now have no meaning.

Central government should provide justice to daughters: Mayawati on wrestlers being detained

May 29, 2023, 3:41 pm

Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has urged the central government to come forward and provide justice to the daughters amid the wrestlers’ protests in the national capital.

India’s Olympic medallist wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia alongwith Vinesh Phogat and Sangeeta Phogat were detained by Delhi Police while attempting to march to the new Parliament building where the protesting wrestlers planned to stage a demonstration on Sunday. “Indian daughters, who have brought laurels to India’s name in world wrestling, are forced to agitate demanding action against the head of the Wrestling Federation of India for serious allegations of exploitation. The central government must come forward to provide justice to these daughters,” tweeted former Uttar Pradesh CM Mayawati.

विश्व कुश्ती में भारत का नाम रौशन करके गौरवपूर्ण स्थान पाने वाली भारतीय बेटियाँ कुश्ती फेडरेशन आफ इण्डिया के प्रमुख पर शोषण के गंभीर आरोपों के विरुद्ध कार्रवाई की माँग को लेकर आन्दोलन करने को मजबूर हैं। इन बेटियों को न्याय दिलाने के लिए केन्द्र सरकार को जरूर आगे आना चाहिए।

— Mayawati (@Mayawati) May 29, 2023

Earlier on Sunday, the protesting wrestlers who were trying to march towards the new Parliament from their site of protest at Jantar Mantar were stopped and detained by the security personnel in Delhi. Delhi Police earlier said that “unsocial elements” won’t be allowed to enter the national capital to ensure smooth conduct of the inauguration ceremony of the new Parliament building, said DCP, Sonipat East Gaurav Rajpurohit.

Sachin Pilot meets protesting wrestlers at Jantar Mantar

May 19, 2023, 2:57 pm

Rajasthan Congress leader Sachin Pilot met on Friday with the wrestlers who are protesting against Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

Pilot had a meeting with Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, and others. They are demanding the arrest of the WFI chief for his alleged role in the sexual exploitation of wrestlers, including a minor.

On the 25th day of their protest, they marched from Jantar Mantar to the Bangla Sahib Gurudwara in New Delhi.

Wrestlers should have taken this step 3 months ago, says Yogeshwar Dutt

April 30, 2023, 1:45 pm

Former Indian wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, a member of the Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) seven-member committee charged with investigating the wrestlers’ allegations of sexual harassment against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, stated that an FIR has been filed and that the grapplers should now focus on their practice.

The Delhi Police filed two FIRs against WFI president Singh on Friday, alleging sexual harassment and exploitation of female wrestlers. Top Indian wrestlers including Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and many others have joined the protest against the WFI chief.

For those unversed, the wrestlers have been sleeping and training at the protest site near Jantar Mantar in the national capital for the past six days.

“The wrestlers should have taken this step 3 months ago. FIR has been registered, now the wrestlers should focus on their practice. Even the Prime Minister does not have the right to punish only the court does” Yogeshwar Dutt told the media.

Dutt also stated that the committee formed was tasked with submitting a report after hearing from both sides. Neither the committee nor the country’s Prime Minister have the authority to punish. Only the court has the authority to sentence.

“An FIR has been registered in this matter and as I said earlier also, the wrestlers should have taken steps to get the FIR registered 3 months back. Nothing happens while sitting at home,” Dutt added.

Sexual harassment case: SC issues notice to Delhi govt on pleas of 7 women wrestlers

April 25, 2023, 4:12 pm

The Supreme Court issued notice to the Delhi government and others on the pleas filed by seven women wrestlers who alleged that their FIR is not being registered regarding sexual harassment against WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The apex court said that these allegations are serious and need to be considered.

Meanwhile, top wrestler Bajrang Punia alleged on Tuesday that Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh tried to sexually exploit seven female athletes, including a minor, forcing wrestlers to withdraw their police complaint. Some people from WFI offered money as well, Punia claimed during a press conference in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.

The apex court first believed that the women’s wrestlers’ case might be scheduled for a hearing on Friday. However, it decided to take up the case right away after hearing some arguments from senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, who brought up the subject.

The bench stated that generally, a remedy to approach the police is accessible under Section 156 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (police officers’ power to investigate cognisable matters). The bench asked, “What are the charges?”

Sibal claimed that despite the law being quite clear on this subject, no FIR has yet been filed despite seven wrestlers, including a minor, making alleged sexual harassment claims.

There are seven female wrestlers, including a minor. A committee has submitted a report, but it has not been made public. And no FIR has been filed, he added.

The senior lawyer cited judgements when he indicated that failure to file an FIR for a crime of this sort could result in the prosecution of police personnel as well.

Taking note of the arguments, the bench stated, “There are significant claims of sexual harassment against Indian wrestlers raised in the petition.” This court needs to consider the subject.

During the brief hearing, the court was informed that the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) is also a BJP member of parliament.

Numerous award-winning wrestlers have been incessantly protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, demanding from the government that it make the probe regarding the sexual harassment case against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh public.

Playing with honour of sportswomen!

January 23, 2023, 2:05 pm

Are Women Unsafe Even Among Wrestlers? There Have Been Allegations Of Sexual Harassment In The World Of Sports Too

The daughters of our country are leaving no stone unturned to touch the sky in every field of life, but it is unfortunate that the eyes of the hungry wolves are fixed on them.

Right from hockey to football, table tennis, kabaddi, taekwondo, athletics to sports organisations, they keep landing in controversies due to favouritism and various other reasons. Many a time, the Supreme Court has also had to make rules, but the agitation by the women wrestlers of India is much more serious than any other row. This is an unprecedented protest and it should not be seen through any partisan prism. It is essential to bring out the whole truth behind the serious allegations of sexual harassment levelled by the women wrestlers of the country because any such allegation is a matter of grave concern.

The wrestlers who have levelled allegations against the president of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and who are sitting on dharna are not ordinary people. Be it Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik or Bajrang Punia, all have brought laurels to India at the international level. Their achievements have enhanced the honour of the tricolour. They have made crores of Indians proud with their unmatched performance. There is a saying in our country that there is no smoke without fire. Therefore, if there is smoke, there must be a fire somewhere. Where is this fire and how did it start? Unless and until it is investigated, the truth will not come out. Vinesh Phogat had categorically said earlier also that the WFI president had sexually exploited many girls. Many coaches of the federation even allegedly misbehave with the women coaches. Sakshi Malik also made similar allegations. Bajrang Punia also came forward in her support. So many allegations cannot be made just like that! No girl puts her honour at stake unless it is too much to tolerate, that’s why this agitation was resorted to! The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president P T Usha has also expressed concern over this whole episode. She has also been very vocal about the allegations of disorganisation and favouritism in sports organisations. She too got a chance to enter the field after a long delay and after a lot of effort.

It is an accepted tradition in our country that if a person has been accused of any serious allegation, he should step down from his post so that there is no hindrance in bringing out the truth. Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s statement that “I have not become president at anyone’s mercy, I am an elected president, why should I resign?” is uncalled for. However, when the sports minister Anurag Singh Thakur announced the formation of an oversight committee and the IOA formed a seven-member committee, the wrestlers called off their protest. The sports minister has also suspended an official and cancelled the ranking tournament. Let’s hope that the investigation into the allegations will also be carried out with complete transparency.

However, in the world of sports, allegations of sexual exploitation and playing with the honour of sportswomen have been made earlier too. Only last year, a female cyclist accused her coach of sexual harassment. She had filed a written complaint with the Sports Authority of India (SAI). SAI and the Cycling Federation of India had also formed a panel to investigate the matter. You will be surprised to know that over the last 10 years, SAI received 45 complaints of sexual harassment and 29 of them were against the coach. Unfortunately, things like what investigation was carried out on the complaints, how many were found guilty and how many were punished, are never made public. Why is it so? You must remember that Sandeep Singh, a former hockey player and the then minister of state for sports of Haryana, was accused of molestation by a coach of the women’s hockey team and Singh had to resign.

Many sporting organisations have been embroiled in controversies from time to time for different reasons. But the protest by the women wrestlers of India at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over the allegations of sexual harassment against WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is too serious a controversy to be ignored. This protest should not be seen through any partisan prism.

As for the allegations of women wrestlers, it is being argued that they should have first complained to the internal committee. Workplaces, sports institutes, training places, stadiums and sports complexes come under the Sexual Harassment Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal Act 2013. There is an internal committee under this Act. From the legal point of view, there should be 50 per cent women in the internal committee and the chairperson should also be a woman, but only one of the five members of the internal committee of the WFI is a woman. So how could women wrestlers trust that committee?

Regardless of various provisions of law, complaints of sexual harassment have been surfacing continuously. It is still a long shot to curb these shameful acts. I think we have to work on many levels simultaneously to change the shameful trait of molestation and sexual harassment. The law is in its place and law also does its work but the system has to be made very effective and transparent. Also, it is necessary to change the male authoritarian mindset. The tendency ingrained in the society to see girls only as an object has to be dealt with at the level of the society itself. We have to educate our sons that a woman is not just an object. Her thinking and her feelings deserve the same respect as that of a man. Our daughters have also shown the vastness of their abilities in the field of sports. We have to make sure that they can fly freely to the best of their ability. Exploiting someone physically in the name of training is not only a heinous criminal act but also the limit of disgusting mentality. Our culture has been to worship women. We even see our country as our mother. Playing with the honour of daughters in such a country cannot be tolerated at all!

The author is the chairman, Editorial Board of Lokmat Media and former member of Rajya Sabha.

Wrestlers Protest: Indian Olympic Association calls emergency meeting

January 20, 2023, 5:05 pm

Amid the ongoing protests by ace wrestlers at Jantar Mantar, Indian Olympic Association calls an emergency meeting at 5:45 pm today to discuss the protesting wrestlers’ issues.

Wrestlers Protest: Ace wrestlers to meet Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur

January 20, 2023, 4:58 pm

Amid the ongoing protests by ace wrestlers at Jantar Mantar, wrestlers can reach Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur’s residence at 6 p.m. for the second round of the talk. Even after meeting with Union Minister Anurag Thakur at his residence on Thursday, wrestlers ended their meeting on an undecisive note on Friday morning and started their protest again on Jantar Mantar at 10 a.m. Earlier on Wednesday, wrestler Vinesh Phogat alleged that coaches who are favorites of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) harass the women.

Wrestlers Protest: Ace wrestlers to meet Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur at 6 pm

January 20, 2023, 11:59 am

Amid the ongoing protests by ace wrestlers at Jantar Mantar, wrestlers can reach Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur’s residence at 6 p.m. for the second round of the talk.

Earlier in the day, Olympian wrestler and 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Bajrang Punia on Friday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur to hear their demands.

“We’re sad that the athletes have to sit here in protest leaving their practice. Our fight is only against the Wrestling Federation of India. We appeal to the PM, HM, and Union Sports minister to hear our demands. WFI has given this fight a political turn,” Punia said.

Earlier in the day, over allegations of sexual harassment of women wrestlers Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, is under pressure to step down. But Singh dismissed all the claims and said will “expose the political controversy” in a press conference on Friday.

Amid the ongoing protests by ace wrestlers WFI chief Singh refuted reports claiming that he had met with Amit Shah and said, “I am not heading this federation by the grace of any person, I am an elected head. I have not had a talk with anyone yet. I will address a press conference later today. 300 athletes from Haryana have arrived here.”

Even after meeting with Union Minister Anurag Thakur at his residence on Thursday, wrestlers ended their meeting on an undecisive note on Friday morning and started their protest again on Jantar Mantar at 10 a.m.

Meanwhile, for the third consecutive day wrestlers will continue their protest even after giving written assurance by Anurag Thakur to wrestlers and two demands have been accepted in the meeting.

The protest was also joined by Boxer Vijender Singh who said, “I have come here to meet the wrestlers today.”

Earlier on Thursday, the sports ministry asked Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh to resign from his WFI chief post

Moreover, WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is to hold a press conference on Friday at the Wrestling Training Centre in Nawabganj in Gonda district, Uttar Pradesh.

WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh said, “He will expose political conspiracy today in the press conference.”

According to the sources Home Minister Amit Shah also spoke to WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

Earlier on Wednesday, wrestler Vinesh Phogat alleged that coaches who are favorites of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) harass the women.

Wrestler Vinesh Phogat also accused the wrestling federation chief, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, of calling her ‘khota sikka’ and sexually harassing girls.

However, a Lok Sabha MP from the BJP, Brij Bushan Singh, is heading the Wrestling Federation of India.