Babita Phogat meets protesting wrestlers in Delhi; assures Centre's support
Vignesh, a three-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, is one of India's most decorated women wrestlers, accused her federation chief and several coaches of sexually harassing multiple athletes.
FollowTop Indian wrestlers, including Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, on Thursday (January 19) sat on a protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar for the second day against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and its chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over sexual harassment allegations.
Vignesh, a three-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, is one of India's most decorated women wrestlers, accused her federation chief and several coaches of sexually harassing multiple athletes. The three-time gold medallist made the allegations at a public protest on Wednesday, backed by several other top wrestlers, male and female.
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Champion wrestler and BJP leader Babita Phogat also arrived at the protest site with a message from the government, Punia said.
Speaking to reporters, Bajrang Punia said, "Babita Phogat has come from the government's side for mediation. We will speak with her and then give more details. If we can fight for our country, then we can also fight for our rights."
Meanwhile, Phogat has assured the wrestlers that the government is with them. "I have assured them that the government is with them. I will try to ensure that their issues are resolved today," Phogat said.
Brij Bhushan, who is also an MP for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and trainers were culpable, Vinesh Phogat told reporters.
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Vinesh, also accused Brij Bhushan of sexually harassing girls and calling her a "khota sikka" after her defeat at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
On the sidelines of a sit-in protest against the WFI, Vinesh said, "Coaches are harassing women and some coaches, who are favourites of the Federation, misbehave with women coaches as well. They sexually harass girls. The WFI president has sexually harassed many girls."
The wrestlers further accused the WFI of interfering with their personal lives and exploiting them. "When we went to the Olympics, we did not have physio or a coach. After we started raising our voices, we were threatened," a wrestler said.
