Wrestlers’ protest: India Supreme Court to hear plea against wrestling chief

Indian Wrestlers, Bajrang Punia, along with Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik addresses a press conference during their ongoing protest against Wrestling Federation of India's President at Jantar Mantar on April 25, 2023 in New Delhi, India.shabby pictures

Best wrestlers have requested that a case be filed against the head of the league that oversees their hobby, and India’s Supreme Court will hear their petition.

Due to claims of sexual abuse made by many female athletes, they have been requesting Brij Bhushan Singh’s imprisonment.

The accusations have been refuted by Mr. Singh.

After the government promised to look into their claims, the athletes called off their demonstrations in January.

However, they relaunched the agitation last week, calling for swift action against Mr. Singh, the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ) and the Wrestling Federation of India( WFI ).

The activists also claimed that despite many female athletes filing complaints accusing Mr. Singh of sexual abuse and criminal harassment, the Delhi Police did not file a case against him.

The petition’s allegations were” serious ,” according to the top court, which requested an explanation from the Delhi Police. The police added that they were ready to conduct a” initial investigation” immediately if the court instructed them to do so after stating the necessity of doing so prior to filing any charges.

One of India’s most well-known athletes and the president of the Indian Olympic Association( IOA ), PT Usha, incited outrage on Thursday when she claimed that the protesting wrestlers were” protesting on the streets” and damaging the reputation of their nation. Instead, she claimed, they ought to have contacted the IOA’s athletes’ direction.

Opposition lawmakers and the protesting athletes responded angrily to her remarks.

Shashi Tharoor, the president of the Congress, tweeted that India’s reputation would only be damaged if the worries voiced by the athletes were disregarded.

Olympic medalist and protestant Wrestler Sakshi Malik questioned whether the demonstrations amounted to misbehaviour given that they were happily expressing their concerns. She claimed that because she is a female swimmer, she doesn’t pay attention to some female athletes.

The athletes have some well-known athletes who have supported them. Neeraj Chopra, who took home the gold medal in javelin at the most recent Olympics, expressed his pain at witnessing Indian athletes having to demand justice by walking the streets and urged officials to handle the situation in an” independent and clear” way.

Abhinav Bindra, another Olympic medalist, stated that the athletes’ problems may be” heard and addressed pretty and independently.”

One of India’s most accomplished female athletes, Vinesh Phogat, claimed in January that at least ten other ladies had told her that Mr. Singh had sexually exploited them. She and other activists also criticized the WFI’s operation and claimed that some instructors had mistreated sports. The WFI had previously refuted all of the wrestlers’ claims, including the one of intimate misconduct.

In the end, the government appointed a panel to handle the federation’s operations and asked Mr. Singh to step down temporarily. A committee was already established by the IOA to look into Mr. Singh’s claims.

Although the committee’s report was released in April, its conclusions have not yet been made people.

In order to monitor the WFI’s everyday operations and hold elections for its executive committee, the IOA has already established a screen.

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