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29-04-2023
Bureau Report
NEW DELHI: Police in India’s capital Delhi have told the Supreme Court that they will register a case against the chief of the country’s wrestling federation.
The court was hearing a petition by top wrestlers against Brij Bhushan Singh over allegations of sexual abuse by several female athletes.
The protesters had alleged that the police did not register a case against Singh despite several complaints accusing him of sexual harassment.
Singh has denied the allegations.
The wrestlers had called off protests in January after the government promised to look into their complaints but they relaunched the agitation last week, demanding immediate action against Singh, who is the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and a lawmaker and politician from the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The top court had said the allegations in the petition were “serious” and asked the Delhi Police for an explanation. The police then said that they needed to do a “preliminary enquiry” before filing a case, adding that they were prepared to do so right away if directed by the court.
However, on Friday, the Delhi police told the Supreme Court that they would file a case against Singh before the end of the day.
On Thursday, PT Usha, president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and one of India’s most prominent athletes, sparked outrage when she accused the protesting wrestlers of tarnishing the country’s image by “protesting on the streets”. She said that they should have approached the IOA’s athletes’ commission instead.
Her comments drew sharp reactions from opposition politicians and the protesting wrestlers.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor tweeted that India’s image would be tarnished only if the concerns raised by the wrestlers were ignored.
Wrestler Sakshi Malik, an Olympic medalist who is part of the protests, asked how the protests amounted to indiscipline when the protesters were voicing their concerns peacefully. “Being a woman athlete, she isn’t listening to other women athletes,” she said.
The wrestlers have received support from some prominent sportspersons. Neeraj Chopra, who won the gold medal in javelin in the last Olympics, said that it hurt him to see India’s athletes having to demand justice by hitting the streets and urged authorities to deal with the issue in an “impartial and transparent” manner.
