EXPLAINED | Wrestlers’ protest, saga surrounding Brij Bhushan Singh and what next for the WFI chief

Glittered by rich Olympic history, India’s wrestling arena has been blessed with glorious eras and world-class grapplers dating back to the 1950s. Led by the energetic KD Jadhav’s bronze in 1952 Helsinki Olympics to Ravi Kumar Dahiya’s success at the Tokyo Games, the glory days are now darkened by the recent turmoil of events that has seen top wrestlers like Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and Vinesh Phogat sit in protest against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) leader Brij Bhushan Singh Sharan. So what is the entire issue and will the wrestlersget a closure with Brij Bhushan’s arrest and trail?

What is the wrestler's protest about?

The union of wrestlers consisting of Olympic and Commonwealth Games medal winners Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, and others started protest against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Singh Sharan. The protest began on 18 January 2023 in India’s capital Delhi at the famous Jantar Mantar where the top wrestlers along with 40 other junior and senior category wrestlers complained about the administration and unnatural behaviour of the WFI chief and his colleagues.

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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.

However, all the allegations were denied by the WFI chief who even insisted that he is willing for a death sentence if found guilty.

Role of government and Supreme Court of India

Listening to the wrestler’s plea, the government had formed an oversight committee led by Mary Kom on 23 January 2023. The report was submitted on April 5 and was not made public which caused anger amongst the wrestlers. The committee also consisted of Babita Phogat (cousin sister of Vinesh) and stated that the witnesses were not cross-questioned. The report, according to the protesting wrestlers, had favoured the accused Brij Bhushan Singh.

The wrestlers then resumed their protest on 23 April 2023 and demanded that an First Investigation Report (FIR) be registered against Brij Bhushan, which was first denied by the Delhi Police when the oversight committee report was submitted. The Supreme Court of India then ordered Delhi Police to register an FIR against the accused WFI chief on April 28.

Two FIRs, one under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO Act) and the other for outraging modesty, were filed by the Delhi Police on 28 April. Offences under the POCSO act were cognizable, non-bailable, and require immediate arrests without a court warrant but the police did not arrest Bhushan which led to accusations of bias and unequal application of the law by many. In addition to the POCSO act, the FIRs included IPC sections 354 (assault with intent to outrage woman's modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking) and 34 (common intention) on Bhushan.

Non-violent take by protesters

Despite FIRs, the protests intensified after the Delhi Police refused to take action against the WFI chief who is a sitting Member of Parliament (MP). Agitators who had made the national capital Delhi the epicentre of their protests made their presence felt when they planned a non-violent protest at the new parliament building on the day of its inauguration to draw government's attention on Sunday, May 28.

However, the plans of protests were foiled by the police as the force prevented the top wrestlers from reaching the site of the new parliament building.

A couple of days later, the wrestlers claimed they felt humiliated for protesting for so long and no concrete action being taken on their allegations. They went on to announce that they would immerse themedals they had won in international and national events in the Ganga. Theprotesters planned toimmerse their medals in the Ganga at Har ki Pauriin the holy city of Haridwar (113 km from Delhi) in the Uttarakhand state of India. Vinesh, Bajrang, and Sakshi Malik were scheduled to immerse their medals in the holy river in the city considered a pilgrimage site of Hindus. However, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait intervened and convinced the wrestlers not to take such extreme steps and promised all support to them.

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The fallouts of wrestlers' protest

As a consequence of the wrestler's protest, the elections of the WFI, originally scheduled to be held in June 2023 are now scheduled to be held in July. India could pay a big price for the turmoil going on with the wrestling body’s administration as the deadline to announce the squad for the Asian Games 2022 (to be held in 2023) approaches near. India still hasn’t named a squad as the trials are yet to take place at the national level which could result in wrestlers missing out on the continental tournament.

What next for Brij Bhushan?

As things stand, Brij Bhushan has been granted interim bail by a Delhi court on Tuesday, July 18 in the sexual harassment case, while his plea for regular bail is scheduled for hearing next week. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Harjeet Singh Jaspal granted relief to Singh and his co-accused Vinod Tomar — the suspended assistant secretary of WFI — after the prosecution did not oppose their plea for interim bail. At the time of writing, neither Brij Bhushan nor Tomar have been arrested by the Delhi Police, however, the grip of investigation could be tightened on the duo if further evidence is found against them.

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