Leading Indian female wrestlers accuse Wrestling Federation of India President of sexual exploitation

Top Indian wrestlers stage a protest in New Delhi, accusing President of Wrestling Federation of India and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan of repeated sexual exploitation

In a surprise move, leading Indian wrestlers including Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Sangeeta Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Sonam Malik, and Anshu staged a protest at Jantar Mantar accusing President of Wrestling Federation of India, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of repeated sexual exploitation. The wrestlers also demand immediate sacking of Singh, who is a 6-time Bharatiya Janata Party MP, elected to Lok Sabha from Kaiserganj Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh.

“Women wrestlers have been sexually harassed at national camps by coaches and the federation president is also involved in it. The coaches who are appointed at national camps have been sexually harassing women wrestlers for years. At least 20 girls I know personally have been sexually harassed and molested at the national camps and some of them are sitting with me here but I will not reveal the names,” Vinesh Phogat who is Gold medalist at Commonwealth and Asian Games told the press conference.

“I have been trying to talk to the federation to raise my issues and of others from last ten years but nobody ever listened to me,’’ Phogat added.

“After gathering the courage today I have said this, but I don’t know if I will be alive tomorrow because the members of the federation are very powerful,” she told media.

Phogat also alleged that foreign coaches were unwilling to come to India to train wrestlers because of the federation’s behaviour towards them. ‘‘My coach was abused by the federation saying that he had run away with all the money and has never put any efforts in training the wrestlers and the federation has never received any outcome from him. Now no foreign coach wants to come to India,” Phogat said.

“Our protest is against the Federation and the way it has been functioning all these years without considering the interests of wrestlers. Our protest has nothing to do with politics in any way; we have not invited any politician in the protest. This protest is wholly a protest of wrestlers,’’ Bajrang Punia, a veteran wrestler and gold medalist at Tokyo Olympics, told media at the press conference.

“When we bring laurels for India everyone celebrates our victory, but after that nobody cares about how we are being treated,” Punia added.

“We have been mentally tortured and even abused by the members of the federation whether we are on the mat representing the country or we are living our personal life,” Punia said.

There were over a dozen leading Indian wrestlers, men and women, at the protest against Singh and his ways of working and seeking his immediate ouster. “We want the removal of the president from the federation and if it does not happen, we will continue the protest until the government does not fulfil our demands,” the wrestlers told the media.

WFI President Singh denied the charges. “No one has said that the federation members have sexually harassed a wrestler. Only Vinesh has said it. If a single wrestler comes forward and says that she has been sexually harassed, that day I will happily asked to be hanged,” the WFI President said.