2023 Indian wrestlers' protest

2023 Indian wrestlers' protests
Wrestlers addressing people during the protest
Date18 January 2023 – 15 June 2023
(4 months, 4 weeks and 1 day)
Location
Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, India
Caused byAllegations of sexual harassment of female wrestlers by the BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh
Goals
  • Arrest of the accused
  • Public release of oversight committee report
  • Dissolution of WFI's executive committee
MethodsDharna (sit-in), Candlelight march[1]
Parties
Lead figures

In January 2023, Indian wrestlers began protesting for investigation into allegations of sexual harassment of female wrestlers by BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh during his tenure as the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).[7][8][9][10] The female wrestler complainants accused Bhushan of groping, touching their breasts and navels without consent, stalking, intimidation, and demanding "sexual favours" in exchange for professional help, all of which led to a "shared sense of fear and trauma" among the women wrestlers.[11] Bhushan has denied all allegations in front of a government appointed committee.[12]

The sit-in protests were organized at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi in January 2023, making the sexual harassment allegations against 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 protesters resumed their protest on 23 April 2023, citing inaction by authorities and bias by the committee to favor the accused.[13]

Bhushan belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party, which leads the Central government and hence oversees the Delhi Police, the law enforcement agency in Delhi. Delhi Police had been accused of inaction and refusing to register a first information report (FIR).[9][14] The FIRs were registered only after Supreme Court's intervention even though Indian Law mandates immediate registration of an FIR for cognizable offences like sexual harassment.[15][16] Bhushan was booked under the POCSO act in which all offenses qualify as cognizable.[17]

Many organizations and opposition parties have accused the government of trying to protect Bhushan, a member of the ruling party.[18][19] The protesting wrestlers have accused the government of building pressure on them to withdraw their cases against Bhushan.[20] The prime minister Narendra Modi and the Union home minister Amit Shah have both been criticized by the opposition parties for being silent on the case, and Sakshi Malik, one of the protesting wrestlers, said she is "hurt" due to Modi's silence.[21][22][23]

Several politicians extended their support to the protests and visited the protest site.[24] Many leading athletes also voiced their support.[25] Many farm unions extended support to the protests claiming that the wrestlers come from farming communities.[26][27][28]

The WFI's term expired in December 2021, but due to the controversies, elections were not held. This delay ultimately led to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) dissolving the WFI's executive body and appointing an ad-hoc committee to oversee its operations in July 2023. [29] The allegations fueled protests and demands for Brij Bhusan’s removal from the post. As a result, the ad-hoc committee decided to conduct repolls on an urgent basis to ensure a transparent and accountable leadership for the WFI.[30]

International sporting bodies United World Wrestling and International Olympic Committee have condemned the manhandling, arrest and temporary detention of the wrestlers on 28 May 2023, and urged the authorities to investigate the allegations against Bhushan failing which Indian athletes would be forced to participate under a neutral flag.[31]

On 25 June 2023, the protesting wrestlers announced they would cease their agitation and expressed their intention to pursue the fight through legal means, rather than through public demonstrations. However, on 24 December 2023, the Union Sports Ministry suspended the newly elected WFI body led by Sanjay Singh citing the WFI's disregard for established policies and procedures.[32]

  1. ^ "Indian wrestlers hold candlelight march demanding arrest of sports official for sexual abuse". ArabNews. 24 May 2023. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  2. ^ "Wrestlers vs WFI chief: Khap Panchayats, protesting wrestlers issue 10-day ultimatum to Centre". Archived from the original on 8 May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  3. ^ "Wrestlers' stir: In message of unity, Haryana's Khaps are entering the ring". The Federal. 3 May 2023. Archived from the original on 5 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  4. ^ "Samyukta Kisan Morcha to hold nationwide protests in support of wrestlers, Delhi Police beefs up security". The Hindu. 7 May 2023. Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  5. ^ "Leaders of Samyukta Kisan Morcha Meet Protesting Wrestlers At Jantar Mantar". Outlook India. 7 May 2023. Archived from the original on 8 May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
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  9. ^ a b Kumar, Hari; Travelli, Alex (5 May 2023). "Indian Olympians Persist in Demanding Arrest of Wrestling Chief". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  10. ^ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (7 May 2023). "India's female wrestlers threaten to hand back Olympic medals in harassment row". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  11. ^ Sinha, Jignasa (2 June 2023). "Demands for sexual favours, at least 10 cases of molestation detailed in 2 FIRs against Brij Bhushan". Indian Express. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  12. ^ "Wrestling row: WFI appears before probe committee, denies all allegations". The Indian Express. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  13. ^
  14. ^ "Wrestlers' plea: Delhi Police to register FIR against WFI president Brij Bhushan Singh in sexual harassment case". The Economic Times. 28 April 2023. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  15. ^ Bali, Raunaq (6 May 2023). "WFI protest: The delay in filing FIRs by the police is demoralising — and illegal". Indian Express. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  16. ^ "Why are top Indian wrestlers protesting on the streets?". Al Jazeera. 4 May 2023. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
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  18. ^ "'Govt Hell-Bent on Protecting BJP MP': Asom Jatiya Parishad Holds Rally in Support of Wrestlers". The Wire. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  19. ^ Staff, The Wire (7 June 2023). "In Joint Statement, Rights Orgs Slam BJP and Delhi Police for Supporting Brij Bhushan". The Wire. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  20. ^ Staff, The Wire (11 June 2023). "'PM's Silence Emotionally Draining', Says Vinesh Phogat; Wrestlers Allege Efforts to Break Them". The Wire. Archived from the original on 11 June 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  21. ^ Bhattacharya, Snigdhendu (4 May 2023). "Modi Silent as India's Women Wrestlers Grapple with Sexual Harassment by BJP MP". The Diplomat. Archived from the original on 17 May 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  22. ^ "Congress expresses 'shock' at PM Narendra Modi's silence on wrestlers protest". The Telegraph. 1 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  23. ^ Arya, Divya (15 June 2023). "Sakshi Malik: Hurt by Indian PM Modi's silence on wrestlers' protests". BBC. Rohtak, Haryana. Archived from the original on 14 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  24. ^ "IN PHOTOS | #MeToo: Political leaders extend support to wrestlers protesting against WFI chief". The New Indian Express. 30 April 2023. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  25. ^ "Wrestlers protest: From Neeraj Chopra to Sania Mirza, here's what athletes across sports are saying". Scroll.in. 28 April 2023. Archived from the original on 28 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
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  28. ^ Pathak, Chandraprakash (28 May 2023). "Day 35: With Support From Across the Nation, Wrestlers' Protest Continues". The Wire. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  29. ^ दिल्ली, अभिषेक नयन (15 May 2023). "WFI के अध्यक्ष पद से हटाए गए बृजभूषण शरण सिंह! IOA का फैसला- 45 दिनों में होगा नए अध्यक्ष का चु". www.abplive.com (in Hindi). Retrieved 21 December 2023.
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  31. ^
  32. ^ Jaiswal, Arushi (25 June 2023). "Indian wrestlers announce to end protest against WFI chief, say will fight in court". India TV News. Retrieved 4 July 2023.