Vinesh Phogat: Unfortunate that IOA, sports ministry protecting a criminal instead of protecting athletes

Wrestler Vinesh Phogat.

As the protests by India’s top wrestlers against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, president of the Wrestling Federation of India whom they accuse of sexual harassment, assault and intimidation, enters its sixth day at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, the possibility of a breakthrough hangs in the air.

Today, the Supreme Court of India will be hearing an emergency petition by the legal counsel for the wrestlers that may open the path to a police investigation against Sharan.

The wrestlers, who had first gathered for a public protest back in January and made their accusations against then WFI President Sharan, reunited for a second round of protests that began last Sunday after they went to a police station in New Delhi to register an FIR against Sharan, but were turned back. Their first protest was called off after the Sports Ministry and the Indian Olympic Association suspended Sharan and formed a five-member panel to investigate the allegations against him as well as run the day-to-day affairs of the wrestling federation. One of the promises made was that the panel would submit a report within a month, and action would be taken based on the report.

Watch: WFI's Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh reacts to sexual harassment charges: 'I prefer to die'

The report was filed after a month’s delay, but remains with the Sports Ministry, who have, so far, refused to reveal the details of the document, saying that they need more time for scrutiny. This is what led the protesting wrestlers to try and file a police report themselves. The wrestlers point to a conflict of interest: three of the five members of the panel are Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, as is Sharan, who is a member of Parliament. The IOA is run by P.T. Usha, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP backed by the BJP.

On the eve of the Supreme Court hearing, Usha said that the wrestlers are “indisciplined” and “tarnishing the image of the country”.

Getting ready to sleep on the pavement at the protest site on a windy night accompanied by light drizzling, Vinesh Phogat, the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and world championship medallist who is one of the three leaders of the protest along with Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, spoke at length about their battles.

You first gathered for a protest back in January, in what was an unprecedented move against the federation president. A panel was formed to look into the allegations you made. What happened and why are you having to protest again?

The first time we came here, we thought in a few hours our problem will be solved. We were united, we had Olympic, Asian, World level medallists, we were revealing something very serious, and we thought we would be heard. We thought if we go public, things will get cleared. But things did not turn out this way. We had no experience, we believed them when they told us they will form a committee, and in four-week’s time there will be a report, and if needed, they will themselves file a FIR. So, we agreed.

But then four weeks passed, and nothing. We were being ignored. They stopped taking our calls. They did not want to talk to us. It was like the same things we have always faced as athletes, happening again. Now, it’s been three months. We realised nothing is going to happen, nothing will change, and we will keep waiting, and sacrifice our careers, not get to train properly, not go to competitions, go through sleepless nights, feel the fear and anxiety of having taken on someone as powerful as Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. When there is no help from the government, no help from the IOA, the only path left to us is to come back and take it to the public.

Also read: Unequal relationship: Tussle between Indian sportspeople and administration is nothing new

A few days back, before you started the protests, you had gone to a police station to try and file an FIR…

Seven of the complainants, and us, and our lawyers, we had all gone to the police station on Friday night. We were there for an hour waiting, then we thought, it’s enough, we should just leave. Our legal counsel said, you can go, but we will stay till they register a complaint and give us the complaint number. Then we called the next day and asked the SHO when he will register the FIR, and he said, I am home, can’t do it now. The next day his PA picked up and said sir is on leave. So, then, again, we realized that no help was coming from the police. Because our case is such that the police are supposed to immediately register an FIR. This is a sensitive case, sexual harassment, assault, POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012)—in this regard, the police have to act immediately, that is the law, not make us wait for two days. We are very glad that the Supreme Court has accepted our plea and we look forward to the hearing on Friday.

(Photo via Twitter/Vinesh Phogat)

And today (April 27) P.T. Usha said you are indisciplined, that you should not be protesting on the streets…

It is unfortunate for our nation that the sports ministry, the IOA, are protecting a criminal instead of protecting athletes. Instead of protecting our dignity, they are doing politics. What justice can we expect from them? P.T. Usha herself is a legendary athlete, if she says things like this…she should realize from within what is happening, not be swayed by the politics, by her position as a BJP Rajya Sabha MP.

And all this for a person (Sharan) who has a long history of crime, intimidation, murder cases, of even being associated with terrorists (Sharan has been acquitted in 30 cases, including murder, a terrorism related case, organized crime cases, as well as a case on the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992; four cases against him remain pending). Are we not a free country?

Are you sometimes afraid of what you are up against? Where do you find the courage?

I am born in the country of Bhagat Singh, who martyred himself, we get our courage from that. It’s not that we are so full of courage that we don’t feel fear. We have fear, we feel sad, and sometimes lost, but the thing is, our family stands with us, and we have been brought up to stand up for ourselves. The nation has given us a lot of respect, fame, everything, and we feel this is our way of paying back, by standing up for truth.

What led you to go public with the accusations against Sharan in the first place?

We have been hearing for many years about him sexually harassing girls, one here, one there…but then it started increasing, more and more girls started coming and telling us about the harassment they have faced. His terror kept increasing. Girls would be very afraid to go to his room when he called. If someone did not go, they feared their career will be over. And he would intimidate and threaten openly, humiliate us, our coaches. The girls have come and cried to me. Girls have called from international tournaments and cried over the phone, ‘didi, what do we do?’”

I would feel helpless, I would tell them, protect yourselves. But what could I do? Girls would come and tell me our names have been removed from the trials or a competition because I did not go to his room when he called at night.

We decided enough is enough. We have to take a stand. If that means the end of our careers, so be it. We have won enough medals for our country, achieved a lot. Because if we wait till we retire, and we are out of the game, we will become mere spectators from the outside, we won’t be able to do anything. So, better to take a stand now, and try to protect those young girls who are coming after us.