- Monday, April 29, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
Top Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who has earned laurels for her country in top international competitions including as Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, has said that she had complained about the chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, to prime minister Narendra Modi in 2021, the BBC reported.
Phogat, 28, is currently sitting on a protest in New Delhi along with fellow wrestlers seeking strict action against Singh accusing him of sexually harassing women wrestlers whose identities have not been revealed. Singh, who is a parliamentarian from Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party from the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, denied all allegations and said that he would resign if Modi or home minister Amit Shah or BJP’s national president JP Nadda asked him to.
Singh is a six-time parliamentarian and he said he has not spoken to Modi about the charges against him, Times Now reported on Monday (1).
Phogat said in an interview to the BBC that when she met Modi after the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021, he had told him about the “mental torture and harassment” they were facing. She said she had not told the prime minister about the sexual harassment.
According to the wrestler, Modi reassured her saying that he was there for them and they need not worry.
Phogat said she had also met India’s sports minister Anurag Thakur and told him about their concerns, including the claim of sexual abuse. She, however, alleged that Singh came to know about the complaint because of a “leak” from the ministry.
When the BBC requested Thakur for a reaction on the allegations made by Phogat, he did not respond.
On Wednesday (3) night, the wrestlers got involved in a scuffle with personnel of the Delhi Police who were accused of manhandling them. Phogat turned emotional and asked whether they won medals for the country to see such days.
Some of the wrestlers, including Phogat and Bajrang Punia who has won an Olympic medal, also said after the face-off with the police that they were ready to return the medals and awards to the government.
The protesters also included Sakshi Malik, another Olympic medal-winning wrestler.
Last week, the Delhi Police filed two cases against Singh — including one under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, based on a minor’s complaint — after the protesting wrestlers filed a petition in the country’s Supreme Court.
But he has not been questioned or arrested yet.
Singh told BBC Hindi that the police have not contacted him and that he would fully cooperate with the investigation when they did.
On Wednesday (3) morning, PT Usha, a former Indian athlete and president of the Indian Olympic Association, met the protesters at the site and assured them of help.
