Wrestler Bajrang Punia claimed on Thursday that the protesters had not anticipated such a stern response from Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha, who claimed that the grapplers’ demonstrations against sexual harassment claims made against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh “amounted to indiscipline.”
The three main figures in the recent protests against WFI leader and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh are ace wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, and Sakshi Malik.
“Wrestlers staging protest on streets amounts to indiscipline. It is tarnishing the image of India,” Usha, spoke to media post the IOA’s Executive Committee meeting.
In response to her remarks, Punia spoke to PTI, “We did not expect such a harsh response from IOA President PT Usha, we expected support from her.”
Due to the fact that one of the complainants is a juvenile, the wrestlers demanded that a case be filed against the BJP MP based on their police complaint and that he be arrested in accordance with the POCSO Act.
The disgruntled wrestlers also filed a complaint with the Supreme Court asking that Sharan be investigated for alleged sexual harassment. Senior attorney Kapil Sibal claimed that the police were required to file a case because it constituted sexual harassment before a panel of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha for an emergent hearing.
The CJI stated: “There are serious allegations contained in the petition at [the] behest of wrestlers who have represented India with regard to sexual harassment. Issue notice, returnable on Friday.”
Former wrestler Babita Phogat, who was included in the panel to investigate the allegations, claimed that fellow member Radhica Sreeman did not let her read the report in detail and she had some objections to the report.
