When the wrestlers first hit the streets in January of this year, charges of sexual harassment against Brij Bhushan arose.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the Supreme Court that Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh will have a First Information Report (FIR) filed against him by this evening with the Delhi Police.
The Supreme Court started hearing a petition on Friday from wrestlers asking for the filing of an FIR against WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and the Delhi Police informed the court that they will do so. The Supreme Court was informed in this respect by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.
It follows a motion made on April 24 by renowned Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat and other wrestlers requesting that the Supreme Court directed the Delhi Police to file an FIR against Bhusan immediately due to the delay in doing so.
According to reports, senior attorney Kapil Sibal also petitioned the supreme court to order that retired judge-supervised safety measures be put in place for female wrestlers. All of these issues can be resolved by the Police, according to SG Tushar Mehta, speaking on behalf of the Delhi Police.
Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia, among other wrestlers, alleged that the WFI president had been accused of sexual harassment by seven girls, including a juvenile, at Connaught Place Police Station (CP PS), although the case has not been made. There must be a POCSO case, Sakshi Malik stated in response to the situation. There has been a 2.5-month wait.
The Delhi Police had stated in response to the wrestlers’ complaint, “Amid the wrestlers’ protest against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Singh, Delhi Police has launched an investigation into their allegation. Police have requested a report from the investigation committee that the Sports Ministry put up.
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Wrestlers Protest enters the 6th day
The first time wrestlers protested was in January when Ravi Dahiya and Sakshi Malik accused the WFI president of sexual harassment. After discussions with Union Minister Anurag Thakur, who disclosed that a committee led by MC Mary Kom will investigate the incident, the three-day sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar came to an end.
On April 23, Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and Vinesh Phogat renewed their protest as the committee’s release of its conclusions was delayed. Wrestlers claim that the protest will go on until their demands are satisfied.Â
The wrestlers want Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the head of the WFI, to be arrested under the POCSO Act
The wrestlers want Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the head of the WFI, to be arrested under the POCSO Act because there is just one small complaint out of a total of seven. With this, the committee’s findings under the leadership of champion boxer Mary Kom become the main emphasis.
#Me too moment in Indian Sports?
The wrestlers, who restarted the protest this week, called for swift action to be taken against Mr. Singh, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president and a member of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Supreme Court had deemed the petition’s accusations to be “serious” and had requested an answer from the Delhi Police. The police said that they were ready to file a case immediately away if the court ordered it, but that they needed to conduct a “preliminary inquiry” before doing so.
One of India’s most well-known athletes and the president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), PT Usha, incited fury on Thursday when she said that the protesting wrestlers were “protesting on the streets” and harming India’s reputation. She advised them to speak with the IOA’s athletes commission in its place.
Both the protesting wrestlers and opposition lawmakers reacted angrily to her remarks. Shashi Tharoor, a leader in the Congress, stated in a tweet that India’s reputation would only be harmed if the wrestlers’ concerns were not taken seriously.
Olympic medalist wrestler Sakshi Malik questioned how the protests could be considered indiscipline when the demonstrators were airing their grievances peacefully. She said that since she was a female athlete, the other female athletes weren’t being heard.
Some well-known sports figures have backed the wrestlers. Javelin gold medalist Neeraj Chopra expressed his pain at seeing Indian athletes taking to the streets to seek justice and urged authorities to handle the situation in an “impartial and transparent” manner.
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