Protesting wrestlers met Amit Shah last week, shared concerns: Report
Agitating wrestlers, who have been demanding the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over sexual harassment charges, reportedly met Home Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Amit Shah at his residence on Saturday. The meeting was attended by Olympic medalists Bajrang Punia, Sakshee Malikkh, and Asian Games gold medalist Vinesh Phogat.
Why does this story matter?
This significant development comes more than a month after the Delhi Police registered two FIRs against Singh on sexual harassment allegations, but he is yet to be arrested. Numerous wrestlers demanded Singh's removal as WFI's president in January and a probe into the claims. They resumed their agitation at Jantar Mantar after three months of inaction but were removed from the site last week.
Wrestlers' long meeting with Shah
According to someone close to the development, the wrestlers met the home minister and flagged their concerns regarding the ongoing issue related to Singh. "They shared their concern with the home minister. The meeting was long, and he listened to everything. But koi decision nhi hua abhi tak (no decision has been reached so far)," a source was quoted as saying by IANS.
Witnesses corroborate sexual harassment allegations against Singh: Report
Last week, The Indian Express reported that a minimum of four witnesses corroborated the sexual harassment allegations leveled by at least three female wrestlers against Singh. Individuals who affirmed the alleged claims included an international referee, a Commonwealth gold medalist, an Olympian, and a state-level coach. The victims also reportedly notified them of the happenings after their occurrences.
Wrestlers to have their own mahapanchayat: Punia
On Sunday, Punia announced that wrestlers would soon have their mahapanchayat, speaking at a gathering attended by Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Chaudhary and former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik. Malik, a vocal critic of PM Narendra Modi, chastized the Centre's handling of the wrestlers' demands and asked citizens to vote the government out in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
SIT investigating allegations by women wrestlers
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Delhi Police is now looking into the cases after two FIRs were filed against Singh on April 28 following the Supreme Court's intervention. The team, which includes women police officials, has so far recorded the statements of 125 of the 158 individuals on its witness list from Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and Haryana.
