2023 Indian wrestlers' protest

Indian Wrestlers' protests are ongoing protests by top Indian wrestlers, including two Olympic medalists and a world champion, against the alleged sexual harassment of female wrestlers by the BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh during his tenure as the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).[6][7][8] However, the accused has denied all the allegations against him and called the protests a conspiracy to remove him from the parliament.[9]

Indian Wrestler's protests
Leaders of different women's organisations talking to the reporters at 2023 Indian wrestlers' protest on 6 May 2023
Date18 January 2023 – present
(4 months)
Location
Jantar Mantar, New Delhi , India
Caused byAllegations of sexual harassment of female wrestlers by the BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh
GoalsArrest of the accused Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh,
Committee report be made public,
Disbanding of WFI..
MethodsDharna (sit-in)
Parties to the civil conflict

Government of India
Delhi Police

Supporting political parties:

Bharatiya Janata Party
Lead figures

The protestors organized a sit-in at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi in January 2023 making the sexual harassment allegations against Brij Bhushan public. After an assurance that the Central government will form a committee to look into the allegations, the protests were called off in January 2023. The report by the committee was submitted on 5 April 2023 but not made public. The protestors resumed their protests on 23 April 2023 alleging the authorities of inaction.[6]

The Delhi police - who are under the central government - filed FIRs against the accused only after the intervention by the Supreme Court after a prolonged inaction despite the allegations being cognizable in nature, which mandate immediate registration of FIR by the police as per Indian law.[10][11]

The protestors are demanding arrest of Brij Bhushan and investigation into the allegations. The protestors accuse the government of trying to protect Singh as he is from the ruling party of India. Kapil Sibal, who represented the protesting wrestlers in the court, expressed doubts about the fairness of the investigation. The prime minister Narendra Modi and the Union home minister Amit Shah have both been criticized by the opposition parties and protestors for being silent on the case.[8][9][12][13][14]

The protests have received widespread support in the country across social divides, including from politicians of opposition parties and a few BJP leaders, Indian athletes and, farm unions.[15][16][17][18][19]

Allegations

According to a report by The Indian Express, in the complaints filed on April 21 2023 at the Connaught Place police station in New Delhi, two women wrestler complainants described how Singh allegedly touched their breasts and stomach sexually and inappropriately on the pretext of checking their breathing patterns. They cited eight instances of sexual harassment which occurred at a restaurant, an office, a competition, and a warm-up. In addition, one of the these two women complainants alleged that Brij Bhushan lifted her training jersey without her consent.[20][21]

Vinesh Phogat, who has won multiple medals at the World Wrestling Championships, claimed she was "mentally harassed and tortured" by Brij Bhushan for missing out on a medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.[22]

Demands
  • The accused Brij Bhushan be arrested and be investigated for the alleged crimes.[9]

Protests and incidents

January 2023

In January 2023, thirty Indian wrestlers, including Olympic medalists, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Anshu Malik, Bajrang Punia, among others, staged a sit-in accusing Wrestling Federation of India president, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and its coaches of sexually harassing female players for years, demanding disbanding of the federation. The protests were called off in January 2023 due to the government promise of creating an oversight committee to investigate the allegations.[23][24][25][26]

April 2023 onwards

The wrestlers resumed protests in April 2023 at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi demanding arrest of BJP MP Brij Bhushan and the report by the government appointed committee be made public, claiming that nothing has been done to resolve their issues. The wrestlers allege that the harassment is going on since 2012, with at least four incidents happening at Brij Bhushan's MP bungalow which also serves as the World Federation of India office. The incidents of harassment took place during tournaments as well, even outside India. Separate police complaints were filed by seven wrestlers against Brij Bhushan but Delhi police did not register an FIR.[6][27][28]

When no FIR was filed by the Delhi police, the complainants approached the Supreme Court. On 25 April 2023, the Supreme Court listed the case to be heard on 28 April and said that the allegations in the petition are "serious" and directed redaction of the names of complainants from the public copy of the petition. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Delhi Police, told the Supreme Court that a preliminary enquiry may be needed before registering an FIR. Kapil Sibal, representing the wrestlers, said the FIR has not been registered as the accused is from the ruling party and the officers refusing to file FIR should be prosecuted.[29][30]

Two FIRs, one under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act and the other for outraging modesty, were filed against Brij Bhushan by the Delhi Police on 28 April after Supreme Court hearing, which the protestors called first step towards victory.[31][32] The Supreme court closed the case after registration of FIR rejecting the plea to appoint a retired judge for monitoring the investigation and said that the complainants are at liberty to move to the jurisdictional magistrate court or the Delhi High Court.[33]

A committee was formed by the protestors on 7 May 2023 and gave the ultimatum to arrest the accused before 21 May 2023.[34]

Government actions

Wrestlers alleged that the government cut off electricity, water and food supplies at the protest site. Delhi police barricaded many locations on Delhi's borders to stop wrestler's supporters from joining. The protestors also accused Delhi police of manhandling them late night on 4 May. The Delhi Police University of Delhi students were detained for supporting the protests.[35][36][37][38]

On 9 May 2023, five officials were suspended for expressing support for the protests by the Haryana Amateur Wrestling Association (HAWA).[39]

Investigation

An oversight committee, led by Mary Kom, was formed on 23 January 2023. The committee submitted its report to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on 5 April after questioning Brij Bhushan Singh and other witnesses. Babita Phogat, sister of one of the protestors Vinesh Phogat and part of the committee, alleged that the witnesses' statements were not cross-verified and the objections by her were not included in the report. The findings of the report are not yet made public, but according to Press Trust of India, the report gave a clean chit to the accused Brij Bhushan.[6] The wrestlers have alleged that the Oversight Committee probe was not fair or transparent as the committee switched off video recordings when the complainants were being testified and asked for audio or video proof of sexual harassment incidents.[40]

The Sexual Harassment Committee mentioned on the Wrestling Federation's website has four men and one woman, but according to the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, all the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) should be led by a woman and more than 50% members should be women.[41]

Two FIRs, one under the POCSO act, were registered upon the intervention of the Supreme Court on 28 April 2023.[6] On 12 May 2023, the Delhi Police told a special court that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to investigate the allegations by the women wrestlers and recorded the accused Singh's statements.[42][43]

Response and reactions

Top political leaders such as former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal, CPI(M) Politburo Brinda Karat, All India Mahila Congress (AIMC) acting President Netta D'Souza, Indian National Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Udit Raj Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik met the protestors on the site.[31][44][45][46][47][48] West Bengal chief minsiter Mamata Banerjee supported the protest on Twitter.[49] Top Congress and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi condemned the manhandling of protestors by Delhi police.[50]

Coming from the same political party as the accused, several BJP leaders Anil Vij, Brijendra Singh and Birender Singh also extended their support to the protests.[19]

Many Indian athletes extended their support on Twitter such as Abhinav Bindra, Neeraj Chopra, Sania Mirza, Shiva Keshavan, Nikhat Zareen, Harbhajan Singh, Rani Rampal, Virender Sehwag, Viren Rasquinha, Kapil Dev and Shikha Pandey.[17][51]

International Booker Prize winner Geetanjali Shree also extended her support for the protests.[52]

On 7 May 2023, Bharatiya Kisan Union spokesperson Rakesh Tikait and Samyukta Kisan Morcha's Baldev Singh Sirsa joined the protestors at Jantar Mantar. On the same day, four national women associations called for support of wrestler protests by holding out meetings and exposing the anti-women face of the BJP.[34][53] People from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's adopted village in Varanasi organised sit-ins in support of women wrestlers.[54]

P. T. Usha, retired Indian athlete and head of the Indian Olympic Association, said that the protests "amounted to indiscipline" and was "tarnishing image of India", but later visited the site of protest assuring her support.[55]

Rajput Mahasabha in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar and Lucknow extended their support to the accused Brij Bhushan, calling the protests were being held 'to insult a Kshatriya'.[56][57]

Statements of the accused

The accused Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh said on 29 April 2023, "Resignation is not a big deal but I am not a criminal. If I resign, it will mean that I have accepted their [wrestlers] allegations. My tenure [as WFI president] is almost over. Government has formed a three-member committee and elections will be held in 45 days and my term will end after the elections." He also said that the wrestlers are changing demands daily and claimed that the protesting wrestlers belong to one group but 90% of the wrestlers from Haryana support him. He also alleged that the protests are backed by the Indian National Congress.[58]

Change of venue of 2023 Asian Wrestling Championships

The 2023 Asian Wrestling Championships were moved from New Delhi to Astana due to pending case against Wrestling Federation of India.[59]

  • 2023 Indian wrestlers' protest site
    2023 Indian wrestlers' protest site
  • Demonstrator sitting at 2023 Indian wrestlers' protest
    Demonstrator sitting at 2023 Indian wrestlers' protest
  • Leaders of different women's organisations talking to the reporters at 2023 Indian wrestlers' protest
    Leaders of different women's organisations talking to the reporters at 2023 Indian wrestlers' protest

See also

References
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