Wrestlers had been trying to file FIR against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh since 2012, alleges Sakshi Malik

Wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik speak with the media during their protest at Jantar Mantar, in New Delhi, Tuesday. PTI

The protesting wrestlers have clarified why they stayed quiet for so long against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. They said the aggrieved athletes have tried for a long to lodge complaints against him, but his influence made sure he always stayed out of trouble.

Rio Olympics medallist Sakshi Malik, part of the protest, referred to a group of junior wrestlers approaching the police in Lucknow to file an FIR against Singh. But due to his sway, the wrestler alleged, the matter was shut down.

“In 2012, a national camp was organised for juniors in Lucknow. An FIR was registered for sexual harassment, but within 24 hours the matter was settled and the FIR vanished. Around 5-7 girls had approached the police back then to register an FIR for sexual harassment,” alleged Sakshi.

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Pointing to the fact this wasn’t a one-off case when BJP MP Singh used his influence to dodge the law, she cited the case of a national camp Physio Paramjeet Malik, who she claimed, along with his wrestler wife, tried raising their voice. His wife was subsequently wasn’t able to participate in any competition since.

Paramjeet appeared before the Oversight Committee investigating sexual harassment allegations against Singh twice, once in person and via a video call the other time, according to The Indian Express.

“I was the personal physio of (World Championship medallist) Geeta Phogat in 2014. The cadet wrestlers broke down and narrated to me and senior wrestlers, including my wife Suman Kundu, about the alleged sexual harassment by Brij Bhushan during the national camp in Lucknow in 2014,” Paramjeet was quoted as saying.

The protesting wrestlers claim that these developments had scared them into silence since they were junior athletes at the time and going against Singh just then could have cost them their career.

“This is the reason why we were quiet for so long. We wanted to wrestle and save our careers because we knew how it would end. We did not dare to raise our voices back then but today we have reached a level where we can speak for our fellow athletes,” Sakshi told the media.

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