NB Explains | Why are India's top wrestlers again crying for justice against WFI chief
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After three months, India's top wrestlers are again back to protest on Sunday for not getting justice against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
What did the wrestlers protest in January?
Top Indian wrestlers, including Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Ravi Dahiya, and Sakshi Malik, held a sit-in protest in Jantar Mantar in January this year, demanding that Brij Bhushan be removed from the head office and WFI be disbanded. They had accused the body and its chief of sexual harassment and mistreatment of wrestlers.
Following the protest, in January, the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports announced the formation of an 'oversight committee' to probe allegations levelled against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and its chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and other coaches. The committee was given the task of submitting a report on the issue to the ministry.
Why are they protesting again now?
Having waited for three months, star wrestlers said that they took the step after alleging that no action has been taken in the matter and said that the FIR has not been registered against WFI chief. Vinesh Phogat broke down and asserted that the wrestling community will not go "till we don't get justice".
"We will sit here day and night. Till the time we don't get justice. We will sit here," Vinesh Phogat got emotional while speaking to the media. "It is about our safety and if we international medal-winning female wrestlers are not safe then who is safe? We are from a wrestling family and we are trying to save it till our last breath," Phogat added.
What is the oversight committee doing?
Olympic medalist Mary Kom is heading the Oversight Committee and former wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, former shuttler Trupti Murgunde, SAI member Radhica Sreeman, ex-CEO of the Target Olympic Podium Plan Rajesh Rajagopalan, and CWG gold medalist Babita Phogat are the other members of the Mary Kom-led committee.
Bajrang Punia found this committee fishy. Punia said, "I read an article in which one of the committee members said that the report has been supported to the Sports ministry without his signatures. The member also expressed his/her disagreement with the report. If a committee member is not involved in report submission and disagrees with the report, how are we supposed to trust it? We were not even informed that the report was submitted to the ministry".
Now, when asked about the working of the committe, Vinesh said she is unaware of the working of the committee. "We don't know what the committe is doing. We are asking for justice and we came in front of the entire public to ask for justice and here we are again."
What does the Committee say?
Former Indian wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, a part of the Indian Olympic Association's (IOA) seven-member committee to probe the wrestlers' allegations of sexual harassment against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, said that they have submitted the investigation report to Sports Ministry and the committee has no right to declare anyone guilty and innocent.
"I came to know it through the media that again the wrestlers have started a dharna at Jantar Mantar. Wrestlers have also lodged a complaint, and now the police will investigate and whatever legal process will be done. In the Constitution, everyone has the right to speak for themselves and register an FIR. The committee constituted by the Sports Ministry has submitted its report. The committee has no right to declare anyone guilty and innocent," Yogeshwar Dutt told ANI.