New Delhi: Wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, Sangita Phogat and Bajrang Punia, among others, continue to stage a protest at Jantar Mantar, demanding action against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over allegations of sexual harassment levelled against him by women wrestlers. Singh (66), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Kaiserganj, has denied the charges.
The athletes returned to Jantar Mantar Sunday in a follow-up to their protest in January this year with which they hoped to draw the attention of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to alleged inaction against Singh despite allegations of sexual harassment.
Those camped at the protest site have alleged that seven wrestlers, reportedly including a minor, filed a complaint against Singh at the Connaught Place police station in New Delhi last week but no FIR has been registered in this regard yet.
On Tuesday, a bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud issued a notice to Delhi police on a plea by the seven women wrestlers alleging non-registration of an FIR against Singh. The matter has been listed for hearing Friday.
Meanwhile, wrestlers have turned the protest site in central Delhi as their makeshift home.
Their day begins with an early morning run to the office of Janata Dal (United) nearby where they make use of the bathroom since the lavatories available at Jantar Mantar are either too dirty for use or non-functional.
They then go about with their daily exercise routine, which includes weight-lifting, some stretching and sprinting in the limited area available to them at Jantar Mantar.
ThePrint’s National Photo Editor Praveen Jain brings you glimpses of the ongoing wrestlers’ protest at Jantar Mantar.
