Female Wrestlers Protest Over Alleged Sexual Abuse By Federation’s Boss

Indian wrestlers protested in Delhi on Sunday, demanding the arrest of the chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), Brij Bhushan Singh for allegedly sexually harassing female wrestlers.

The female wrestlers also accused some officials of the federation of sexually abusing them, BBC reported.

They first staged protests and called them in January after the government promised to investigate and address their grievances.

The protests in January had attracted international reactions, but the WFI had denied all the allegations made by the wrestlers, including that of sexual misconduct.

As the protests continued, the government asked Singh to step aside for a few weeks and inaugurated a panel to supervise the federation’s activities.

However, BBC said there was no clarity on the status of his position as the WFI website still lists Singh as its president.

The Indian Olympic Association also set up a committee to investigate the allegations against Singh, who is a lawmaker and politician from the governing Bharatiya Janata Party.

The committee submitted its report in April but its findings have not been revealed yet.

Singh has denied the allegations.

In a protest they resumed yesterday, the female wrestlers demanded the government make public the report submitted by the panel that investigated the allegations.

Their male counterparts also joined them in the demonstrations.

On Sunday night, Vinesh Phogat, a two-time World Championship medallist, tweeted a photo of the protesters sleeping in the open.

“From podium to footpath! Under the open sky at night in the hope of justice,” she tweeted.

Olympic medalist Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik were also part of the protests.

Phogat had alleged in January that at least 10 female wrestlers had confessed to her that they were sexually exploited by Singh.

She had also said that they would not compete in international tournaments unless Mr Singh was removed from the post.