Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra came out in support of the ongoing wrestlers’ protest on Friday and said that he was ‘hurt’ to see athletes on the streets demanding justice. “It hurts me to see our athletes on the streets demanding justice. They have worked hard to represent our great nation and make us proud,” the Tokyo Olympics gold medalist said in a tweet on Friday. He said,” As a nation, we are responsible for safeguarding the integrity and dignity of every individual, athlete or not.”
Indian wrestlers have been protesting at Jantar Mantar here in the national capital against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over allegations of sexual harassment. Top Indian grapplers such as Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and many other wrestlers are involved in the protest against the WFI chief.
Having waited for three months, star wrestlers like Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia again started their protest against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Sunday and said that they took the step after alleging that no action has been taken in the matter and that the FIR has not been registered against the WFI chief.
Ace India wrestler Sakshi Malik broke down while interacting with the media as wrestlers protested at Jantar Mantar. “We wanted to file a sexual harassment FIR against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. We got a complaint filed two days ago, but the FIR has not been registered yet. There are seven female wrestlers, and one of them is a minor. We want the investigation to happen quickly. It is a sensitive matter. We are being framed as liars, which we cannot bear. We have been waiting for two and a half months now, but no one is listening. People are saying we are out of force, which is why we are protesting. We just won a medal at CWG 2022,” Sakshi Malik told the media at
Jantar Mantar.
“It is being heard that we are finished; that is why we are protesting. For two and a half months, the government has not taken any action. We cannot reveal the name of a minor. Otherwise, her name and career will get spoiled,” she added.
Earlier in January this year, top Indian wrestlers, including Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Ravi Dahiya, and Sakshi Malik, held a sit-in protest in Jantar Mantar, demanding that Brij Bhushan be removed from the head office and the Wrestling Federation of India be disbanded. They had accused the body and its chief of sexual harassment and mistreatment of wrestlers.