INDIA: The prolonged protest initiated by the Olympic bronze medallist Bajrang Punia against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Singh is ongoing. He stated that the protest will continue till WFI Chief is imprisoned.
Punia stated that the Supreme Court had ordered Delhi Police to file an FIR against the WFI chief. Besides this, he also confirmed that Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur isn’t picking up their phone.
Three months after the wrestlers accused the head of the federation of sexual harassment and the WFI of mismanaging funds and mismanagement, renowned wrestlers like Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik commenced the protest against the WFI chairman.
Now, Punia, during a media interaction, said, “The Supreme Court has given Delhi Police permission to file an FIR. Who should an athlete report to when a federation chief harasses them in this way? In a federation, the chief is the biggest person. The Delhi Police should move decisively and imprison him as soon as possible.”
Apart from this, Vinesh Phogat urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to disqualify the WFI chief from all positions. Vinesh said, “I request that Prime Minister Modi remove Brij Bhushan from all positions on moral grounds. He might have an impact on the inquiry.”
“Senior athletes and Bollywood stars have backed us, but we will need to work together to rid sports of such personalities. Raise awareness of athlete exploitation on social media. We’ll stay seated in Jantar Mantar. On the basis of the girls’ complaint, an FIR has been filed. This conflict extended beyond FIR. The conflict is to have him detained,“ Vinesh Phogat added.
Prominent film personalities, politicians and sportspersons have lent their support to the protest. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot supported the wrestlers.
He wrote, “I express solidarity and support for the brave women wrestlers fighting for justice at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. As the Delhi Police is refusing to even file an FIR in their sexual harassment complaint against the powerful BJP MP who is the wrestling federation chief, I hope the judiciary will step in and order an independent probe by a sitting Supreme Court judge. Our international sportswomen deserve better.”
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