New Delhi: The top wrestlers of India took the protest path over sexual harassment allegations against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Sunday. Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and other grapplers returned to the protest site at Jantar Manta in Delhi demanding the government to make public the findings of the probe panel set up to investigate the allegations levelled against Singh.
Sunday’s protest was resumed after January, when the wrestlers, including Sakshi Malik and Ravi Dahiya, had raised the issue, but ended their three-day long sit-in after talks with Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, who had announced a five-member oversight committee, headed by legendary boxer MC Mary Kom, to look into the allegations.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police on Sunday said they have received seven complaints and are conducting an inquiry into the matter. According to a senior police officer, some of the complaints pertain to Delhi and some from outside the city. "We are conducting an inquiry. No FIR has been registered yet," news agency PTI quoted him as saying.
The police statement comes after the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) said it has received a complaint from the women wrestlers who alleged that they had filed a written complaint to the city police two days back, but no FIR had not been registered so far.
The complainant had informed the DCW that several women wrestlers, including a minor, had alleged that Singh sexually harassed them during his tenure at the WFI. She also said a complaint was filed at Connaught Place police station on April 21, however, no action has been taken by the Station House Officer (SHO).
She also said that when she called the SHO to enquire about the status of the complaint, she was informed that no FIR had been filed and that action shall be taken on the complaint after Monday. According to DCW, the complainant also alleged that when she asked him for assurance that the FIR shall be filed, he said that he could not guarantee it.
Meanwhile, the panel issued notice to Delhi Police and sought an action taken report by April 25. The DCW has sought a copy of the FIR and asked the police to explain the reasons for delay in registering an FIR.
"The wrestlers who are agitating have won medals for the country in Olympics and CWG. They have hoisted the tricolour abroad. Today, when they are protesting, even their food and water is being stopped. Are their demands wrong?" DCW chief Swati Maliwal tweeted in Hindi.
Rio Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik said, "We will not budge from Jantar Mantar" adding that "this fight will not stop".