Monitoring committee thing of past, we expect justice from court: Vinesh
The protesting wrestlers on Wednesday said they are no longer concerned with the findings of the monitoring committee set up by the Sports Ministry and only expect justice from the court. The Sports Ministry on January 23 constituted a six-member panel headed by boxing legend MC Mary Kom to submit its report on sexual harassment allegations leveled by women wrestlers against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. was told.
The committee submitted its report in the first week of April but the ministry is yet to make the findings public. Asked whether she was aware of the monitoring committee’s findings, 2018 Jakarta Asian Games gold medalist Vinesh Phogat said, “It is a thing of the past. We are not looking into it or thinking about what the committee has done or not done. The term of the committee was three months…Now it is over and the fight has gone to court so we will concentrate on that.
Protests by India’s top wrestlers, including Vinesh, Olympic medalist Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, continued for the 25th day, demanding the arrest of Brij Bhushan for allegedly sexually assaulting seven female wrestlers. On Wednesday, wrestlers and their supporters took out a procession from Jantar Mantar to Bangla Sahib Gurdwara and offered prayers there. Vinesh said, “We are confident that we will win the fight for justice. We will do our best to not only let the global wrestling community know about our plight but also reach out to players from other sports. No country is immune to incidents of sexual harassment in sports.
He said the decision to be taken by the senior leaders of the khap panchayat on May 21 would be crucial in their fight against Brij Bhushan. Vinesh said, “Whatever decision our elders take on May 21 (the deadline set by the wrestlers for concrete action against Brij Bhushan) will be binding on us. They will decide our future strategy.” He also criticized those who are trying to give political color to the wrestlers’ movement.
He said, “This protest is not a platform for political parties. Every citizen of the country is free to visit Jantar Mantar. We welcome everyone at the protest site without discriminating on the basis of party, religion or caste.” The wrestler had on Tuesday visited the Hanuman temple near Connaught Place along with Bhim Army President Chandrashekhar Azad and hundreds of supporters. Briefing the media after the march, Olympic and World Championship medalist Bajrang Punia appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene and ensure justice for women wrestlers. The wrestlers had also indicated that they may take their movement to the Ramlila Maidan and make it a ‘national movement’.
