Wrestlers vs WFI: 10 things to know about the agitation

Indian wrestlers on Thursday continued their protest against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a BJP MP and the chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), calling for his ouster and demanding an overhaul of the way the sport is managed in the country.

As the protest enters its second day, here are 10 things to know about the wrestlers' agitation against the WFI:

1. The protesters, around 30 in number, include Olympic medallists Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, world championship medallists Vinesh Phogat, Sarita Mor, Satyawart Malik, Jitender Kinha, and Sangeeta Phogat, among others. They have been protesting at Delhi's iconic Jantar Mantar since Wednesday.

2. The primary demand put forth by the protesting wrestlers is the removal of WFI chief Brij Bhushan Singh from his post. Singh has held the top post at the WFI since 2011, having been re-elected for a third consecutive time in 2019.

3. Among other things, Singh and several coaches have been accused of sexual harassment by Vinesh Phogat, with the wrestler alleging that "at least 10-12 women wrestlers" had been harassed by Singh. While Phogat said that she herself had not faced such exploitation, the 28-year-old claimed that she had receieved death threats from WFI officials close to Singh for the allegations.

4. The protesters have also called for the appointment of new coaches and physios for future training sessions and have asked for the national training centre to be moved to Delhi from Lucknow.

5. Singh, for his part, has denied the sexual harassment allegations, and has said that he is willing to take his own life if the allegations are proven true. "If such a thing has happened, then I will hang myself...I am ready for an investigation," the WFI chief said on Wednesday.

6. The WFI chief has further alleged that the protesters' anger stems from their inability to win Olympic medals: "The age for delivering the best performance in wrestling is between 22 and 28 years. These wrestlers who are protesting can't win an Olympic medal. This is turning into anger and that is why they are protesting," Singh was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

7. The protesting wrestlers have demanded an audience with Union Home Minister Amit Shah or Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They have refused to divulge further details about their allegations till said demand is met: "We will share all the details with them [Shah or Modi]. That's our main demand," Punia has said. Meanwhile, three-time CWG medallist and BJP leader Babita Phogat on Thursday came with a "message" from the government and assured the grapplers that their demands will be met. "I will try to get the solution. I am a wrestler first and then a political person. I know their pain and I will try to get the solution that the wrestlers want," Babita said.

8. The sports ministry, meanwhile, has taken cognisance of the allegations against Singh and has directed the WFI to "furnish a reply within 72 hours." If the WFI fails to respond to the allegations within the stipulated time period, the ministry has threatened to "initiate action against the federation in terms of the provisions of the National Sports Development Code, 2011."

9. Additionally, the sports ministry has also cancelled the national camp for wrestlers that was slated to start at the SAI centre in Lucknow from Wednesday.

10. The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), too, has issued notices to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the Delhi Police, taking cognisance of Vinesh Phogat's allegations against Singh. The commission has also asked the Delhi Police to file an FIR in the matter.

(With PTI inputs)