New Delhi: The People’s Commission on Public Sector and Public Services (PCPSPS), a policy consultations body, has demanded an independent inquiry by a commission headed by a senior judiciary member into a series of issues surrounding India’s women wrestlers.
The PCPSPS issued a statement Friday seeking a thorough look into a range of developments from wrestlers’ sexual harassment allegations against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, to the “the unfortunate goings on in the Paris Olympics”.
Members of the commission include former Kerala finance minister Thomas Isaac, former secretary, Ministry of Power & Economic Affairs, E.A.S. Sarma, former member of the Planning Commission S.P. Shukla, and senior advocate Indira Jaising among others.
The PCPSPS demanded that the appointed panel should investigate the role of all government agencies involved, either directly or indirectly, with concerns related to women wrestlers.
This panel may involve senior public functionaries, it said, and “fix responsibility for the harassment and mental trauma to which the women wrestlers have been subject to, culminating in the sad goings on in the Paris Olympics”.
The organisation said Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification from the Paris Olympics — because she failed to make the weight — highlighted that it was due to a “flimsy not-so-convincing technical ground, without any visible intervention by the sports authorities of India”, while another had to leave the Olympic village and Paris on disciplinary grounds, a reference to wrestler Antim Panghal.
“…we certainly wish to say that had those in authority at the Centre acted promptly on the accusations made by some of them and dealt with their concerns in a sensitive, constructive manner, the nation would not have witnessed today the sad spectacle of women wrestlers being forced to forfeit the honours they deserve and the nation being deprived of sharing their glory,” the statement said.
The PCPSPS, composed of academics, jurists, former administrators, trade unionists, and social activists, emphasised the need for transparency and accountability. They noted an independent probe would address concerns over privatisation and the handling of public sector issues.
Wrestlers’ protest
In June, the PCPSPS raised concerns about the mishandling of POCSO accusations made by some wrestlers against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan.
The body accused senior political leaders of allowing these investigations to stagnate for short-term political gains, thereby exposing wrestlers to harassment, police high-handedness, and severe mental distress.
Female wrestlers accused Singh of sexual exploitation and intimidation, with protesters demanding his resignation from the federation. Meanwhile, the WFI denied all allegations raised by the wrestlers against the president and coaches.
Failing to get any response from the political leadership at that time, women grapplers staged sit-ins on the streets of Delhi and were even forcibly removed by the police. The body noted this was the “failure of governance of different agencies of the government and their insensitivity to the complaints made by the women wrestlers in particular and womankind in general”.
Ace wrestlers and international medallists Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, and Sakshi Malik were the prominent faces of this agitation.
Previously, the PCPSPS had said that if the investigation was in any way influenced by the political leadership, the interests of women wrestlers would be compromised. “As a nation, we are responsible for supporting the women wrestlers, who brought glory to our country, to enable them to pursue their profession with dignity and self-esteem,” it had said.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
Also read: ‘Despair’ over Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification & Nita Ambani’s ‘publicity blitz’ at Paris Olympics