02 May 2023  |   07:23am IST

Wrestlers feel let down by sprint-queen PT Usha’s ‘tarnish image’ comment

Robin Roy

It was heart-wrenching to see how legendary PT Usha had “reacted” or how some of the top names in the country’s sports fraternity who actually matter, chose to remain silent even when the women wrestlers were protesting for the second time in Delhi this year, reiterating their allegations of sexual harassment and intimidation by WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

PT Usha, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, on Thursday came down heavily on the wrestlers who had resumed their protest.

In a statement, PT Usha had said the wrestlers’ protest on the streets is “tarnishing” India’s image. She said the protest by the elite wrestlers equates to “indiscipline”.

“Wrestlers staging protests on streets amounts to indiscipline. Wrestlers’ protest on streets is tarnishing the image of India,” PT Usha said after the IOA’s Executive Committee meeting.

It may be recalled that in February this year, legendary athlete and Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president P T Usha broke down before the media alleging that illegal constructions were being carried out at her academy campus in Kozhikode district and strangers were trespassing into the property posing a security threat to the inmates.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, she said those at the Usha School of Athletics had been facing such harassment and security issues for some time and it has intensified after she became the Rajya Sabha Member.

Notwithstanding the fact that the sprint-queen may have felt extremely bad on that day after having brought so many laurels for the country, her comments on the protesting wrestlers against alleged sexual harassment had sent shock ripples across the nation. People were astonished as to how a former Olympian could make such a statement.

But on Friday, the protesting women wrestlers found good support from Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra when he showed his support to the protesting wrestlers and called for “quick action” from the authorities in order to ensure that justice is served. Taking to Twitter, Chopra called the issue “sensitive”. The track and field athlete went on to say, “It hurts me to see our athletes on the streets demanding justice. They have worked hard to represent our great nation and make us proud. As a nation, we are responsible for safeguarding the integrity and dignity of every individual, athlete or not. What’s happening should never happen.”

Also, ace tennis player Sania Mirza backed the ongoing wrestlers’ protest on Friday, joining several other prominent members of the sports fraternity. The athletes had returned to their protest site after three months, reiterating their allegations of sexual harassment and intimidation by WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

Abhinav Bindra has also backed the protesters, reiterating calls for “quick action” to ensure that justice is served. Others, including ace boxer Nikhat Zareen and hockey player Rani Rampal have also flagged the situation and called for justice. Also support came from former cricketers like Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, Madan Lal and Navjot Singh Sidhu.

But till the time this article was written, the biggies of Indian cricket like Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli had not mentioned a word to boost the morale of the protesting women wrestlers.

It may be recalled that Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Anil Kumble, Suresh Raina were some of the renowned names from the Indian cricket fraternity who tweeted on farmers’ protest and hence the entire country expected top cricketers to stand with the protesting women wrestlers especially when the matter is a very sensitive issue.

After their protest in January, why did they resume their demonstration again in April?

The protesting wrestlers have cited delay from the government in releasing the report of the committee that looked into the allegations (of sexual harassment against Brij Bhushan), loss of faith in the committee, and the absence of action against Brij Bhushan, of which they had been assured in January.

The protesting women wrestlers have also expressed unhappiness over the fact that the WFI had resumed its activities in spite of the ongoing probe, and have alleged that Brij Bhushan was still actively calling the shots, evidenced by the fact that the first national tournament since the controversy broke took place in his backyard in Gonda.

Who is Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh?

Brij Bhushan has been a six-time MP, having won the Gonda Lok Sabha seat in 1991 and 1999, Balrampur in 2004, and Kaiserganj in 2009, 2014, and 2019. He was a candidate of the BJP in all these elections except in 2009, when he won on an SP ticket.

Hailing from Gonda, Brij Bhushan, 66, according to his 2019 election affidavit, was named in the Babri Masjid demolition case.

He has been involved with wrestling in several administrative roles — as president of WFI, vice-president of Asian Wrestling Federation, a member of the government’s Mission Olympic Cell.

What are the accusations?

The wrestlers have alleged financial mismanagement and arbitrariness in the functioning of the WFI. But the gravest allegation has been that of sexual harassment.

The complainants have cited incidents that took place as early as in 2012 to as recently as in 2022, and claimed some of them occurred at Brij Bhushan’s official MP’s bungalow in the national Capital and during tournaments in India and abroad. One of the complainants, it was mentioned in the Supreme Court on Tuesday, is a minor.

What are the wrestlers’ 

demands?

They were demanding an FIR against Brij Bhushan following their police complaint, and they also want him to be arrested under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act as one of the complainants is a minor. They have also demanded his ouster as the WFI president, and the dissolution of the federation.

What has happened so far?

In January, the government persuaded the protesting wrestlers to call off their protest by forming an Oversight Committee, which was tasked with looking into the allegations.

The six-member panel led by boxing legend MC Mary Kom, was given four weeks to come up with its findings. However, it submitted its report only in the first week of April. The committee has since been disbanded.

Following the fresh protests, the government declared the ongoing process for the WFI polls, scheduled for May 7 as null and void. It also instructed the IOA to form an ad hoc committee that would conduct the elections within 45 days, and also manage WFI’s day-to-day affairs until the new members take charge.

What are the findings of the Oversight Committee?

The report is still being “examined”, and has not been made public. However, the Sports Ministry has shared the “major findings” following preliminary scrutiny. The key points are:

A)Absence of a duly constituted Internal Complaints Committee under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment Act, 2013, and lack of an adequate mechanism for awareness building among sportspersons, for grievance redressal, etc;

B) Need for more transparency and consultation between the Federation and the stakeholders, including the sportspersons;

C) Need for effective communication between the Federation and sportspersons.

(The writer is a Senior Journalist and former Senior Associate Editor O Heraldo)


IDhar UDHAR

Idhar Udhar