A news report of sexual harassment of Indian wrestlers has once again brought the Indian Wrestling Federation into the limelight. Sports and Rights Alliance has published this report on July 23.
The organisation is a global group of NGOs and bodies working for equal rights in sports globally. The group has requested the International Olympic Committee to investigate the allegations against the Indian Wrestling Federation.
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Last year, women wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik protested for months at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi, demanding an inquiry into the matter. Women wrestlers had accused the then president of the wrestling federation Brijbhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment. The Sports and Rights Alliance has mentioned in detail the women wrestlers’ plight and their accusations against Brijbhushan Sharan Singh in its report. The information about the harassment over a period of 12 years has been mentioned in the report.
In 2023, after the allegations against the President of the Wrestling Federation came to light, the Sports Ministry of India also formed an investigation committee in this regard. However, the report of this panel has not been made public yet, says SRA.
The SRA has also demanded that this report be made public as soon as possible. A court in Delhi found Brijbhushan Sharan Singh guilty of sexual harassment and stalking of women. Brijbhushan has denied the accusations. His trial will begin soon.
Meanwhile, the Wrestling Federation of India was ordered to dissolve the committee and hold fresh elections. After nearly a year of agitation, elections were held in which Sanjay Singh won. Sanjay Singh is believed to be close to Brijbhushan Sharan Singh.
Sakshi Malik, India’s only woman wrestler to win a medal at the Olympics, protested against this and quit wrestling. The SRA claims that the International Olympic Committee, the apex body of the Olympic Games, needs to do more. The body has said that the committee has failed to independently investigate the case of the wrestlers. So far, neither the IOC nor the Wrestling Federation of India has responded to the report.
Many recommendations have also been made in this report. It has been demanded that the International Olympic Committee should strengthen its hotline (helpdesk) for athletes who want to report cases of sexual harassment. The report has also demanded that India needs to do more for the safety of athletes before hosting the Olympics.
Last year, India formally indicated that it would host the Olympic Games in 2036. In order to prepare this report, the SRA interviewed coaches, parents, eyewitnesses, journalists and supporters, apart from the players who were in connection with the victims. The report said that Brijbhushan Sharan Singh’s misconduct as president of the wrestling federation began 10 years ago, when he first took over. The victims were typically young female athletes in the early stages of their competitive careers, and for many of the victims, the abuse continued over a period of years.
The reported statements include how wrestlers were assaulted, harassed, threatened, and retaliated against by Brijbhushan Sharan Singh for refusal. There is detailed information about this. A committee was set up to probe the matter after women wrestlers levelled allegations against Brijbhushan. But according to the SRA report, the committee was ‘sceptical’ about the allegations made against Brijbhushan.
The inquiry committee submitted its report to the government in April 2023, but the Indian government has not yet made the report public. Eventually, the Sports Ministry suspended the new president of the wrestling federation, Sanjay Singh, after the Indian Wrestling Federation elections and protests by women wrestlers.
In May 2023, the International Olympic Committee issued a statement in support of women wrestlers. The committee condemned the police attack and detention of the wrestlers, but the IOC did little, the report said. The organisation also made recommendations in its report to the International Olympic Committee, United World Wrestling and the Indian government.
The SRA says that athletes should be given a safe space so that they can report physical, sexual or psychological violence without fear. Especially when national institutions are hesitant or unable to take effective action in these cases or when there is a conflict of interest. The report said that a ‘safeguarding hub’ i.e. a regional level safeguarding centre should be created in India which would provide victims with ‘independent psychological, legal and other assistance’ in such cases. Athletes hope that the International Olympic Committee will take these recommendations into consideration and implement them.
