The Indian sports activities fraternity on Wednesday was witness to unprecedented scenes as among the nation’s prime wrestlers together with Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik sat at a protest on the Jantar Mantar and levelled allegations of sexual harassment towards Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) coaches and the federation’s president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Vinesh Phogat, the primary Indian girl wrestler to win gold in each the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, stated that “national coaches molested female wrestlers over the years and were given death threats by WFI officials.” She together with different prime Indian wrestlers sat an enormous protest on the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Wednesday. The wrestlers have referred to as for the removing of the WFI president from the put up.

Later, Bajrang Punia made an emotional attraction to the wrestling group.  “My request to all of you who are associated with wrestling – coaches, fellow wrestlers, and others, this is a fight to protect our game. So, kindly stand with us. Our president (Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh) is saying that only three per cent of the wrestling are raising allegations while the rest are with him. So, we have to stand united to protect our game. We have to stand together and stay united. It is very important to save wrestling because it has given us everything. You are associated with wrestling, so do support us,” Bajrang Punia stated in an Instagram put up.

Vinesh, Bajrang’s allegations

Rio Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik, world championship medallist Sarita Mor, Sangeeta Phogat, Anshu Malik, Sonam Malik, Satyawart Malik, Jitender Kinha, Amit Dhankar and CWG medallist Sumit Malik have been amongst 30 wrestlers who assembled on the well-known protest website.

Vinesh, a world championship medallist and Olympian, additionally claimed that a number of coaches at a nationwide camp in Lucknow have exploited girls wrestlers, including that there are just a few girls on the camp who strategy wrestlers on the behest of the WFI President.

“Some coaches are close to  the national federations. Those coaches have exploited young girls. Don’t know how many young girls have suffered due to them,” Vinesh said.

The 28-year-old although clarified that she herself has not confronted such exploitation however claimed that she had obtained demise threats on the behest of WFI president from officers near him as a result of she dared to attract Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s consideration to a number of points plaguing Indian wrestling when she met him after the Tokyo Games.

“I know at least 10-20 women wrestlers who have told me about the sexual exploitation they faced at the hands of (the) WFI President. They told me their stories. I can’t take their names now but I can definitely reveal the names if we get to meet the Prime Minister and the Home Minister of the country,” Vinesh stated addressing the media after staging a four-hour ‘dharna’ at Jantar Mantar.

“I have received death threats from people who are close to the WFI President. If anything happens to any of us sitting here, only the WFI President will be responsible.”

Centre’s response

The sports activities ministry has sought a response from the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) “within the next 72 hours” after the allegations have been made. The centre, in a press release, has made it clear that if the WFI doesn’t reply within the subsequent three days, the sports activities ministry “will proceed to initiate action against the federation in terms of the provisions of the National Sports Development Code, 2011.”

“Taking cognizance of the protest staged by wrestlers, including Olympic and CWG medalists, in Delhi today and a press conference in which wrestlers have levelled serious charges of sexual harassment of women wrestlers by the President and coaches of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and of mismanagement in the functioning of the federation, the Sports Ministry has sought an explanation from WFI and directed it to furnish a reply within the next 72 hours on the allegations made. In its communication to WFI, the Ministry has stated that “because the matter pertains to the properly being of athletes, the Ministry has taken a really severe view of the matter.” the sports ministry said in the statement.

“The Ministry has additional said that if WFI fails to furnish the reply inside the subsequent 72 hours, the Ministry will proceed to provoke motion towards the federation when it comes to the provisions of the National Sports Development Code, 2011.”

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