Vinesh and the other Indian wrestlers had previously charged the WFI president and specific coaches with sexually harassing female wrestlers, including at national camps.
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Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat stated her dissatisfaction with the oversight committee that the sports ministry set up to look into claims of sexual harassment made against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). Vinesh, a two-time medalist at the world championships, claimed she had “lost faith” in the committee, which was led by the legendary boxer MC Mary Kom. She further claimed that despite the one-month deadline set by the committee having long since passed, calls to Mary Kom and sports minister Anurag Thakur went ignored, keeping her and other wrestlers in the dark about the progress of the investigation.
Vinesh and the other Indian wrestlers had previously charged the WFI president and specific coaches with sexually harassing female wrestlers, including at national camps. The job of looking into these claims and managing the day-to-day operations of the WFI until the investigation (given to the Oversight Committee) was finished and Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh resigned. Vinesh and other Indian wrestlers, however, are dissatisfied because the committee’s conclusions have not been made public.
Vinesh Phogat said that although the female wrestlers had displayed great bravery in speaking up about their experiences, it appeared that their remarks had little impact. She asserted that the government had made commitments but had not followed through on them, leaving the wrestlers with little choice but to pursue legal action. Vinesh said that despite stepping down, Brij Bhushan was still in control of the Wrestling Federation of India remotely and making important decisions. She further charged that the committee was biased and that it was controlled by the sports ministry.
Read More-‘Ji jaan lagake karenge, jitna hona hai ho jaega’ -Vinesh Phogat
Vinesh also raised concerns over the Open National Senior Ranking Wrestling Tournament for Women and Greco Roman, which is scheduled to be held from April 16 to 18, 2023 in Gonda, a stronghold of Brij Bhushan. She questioned why the tournament was being held in Gonda, despite other suitable venues being available in Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi. Vinesh showed her frustration that no one in the Oversight Committee seemed to have any answers, adding that the decision to hold the tournament in Gonda was insensitive to the women wrestlers who had previously suffered harassment there.
The Oversight Committee comprised of Olympic medalist-wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, former badminton player and Mission Olympic Cell member Trupti Murgunde, former CEO of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme Rajesh Rajagopalan, and former Sports Authority of India executive director (teams) Radhica Sreeman, in addition to Mary Kom. Vinesh alleged that anytime she believed certain questions were asked insensitively to some of the women wrestlers who went before the committee, she expressed her concerns to members of the Oversight Committee.
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