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‘Wrong things being spread about us by some politicians for personal interests’, says protesting wrestler Vinesh Phogat

 

New Delhi: Commonwealth Games gold medalist Vinesh Phogat announced that wrestlers protesting against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Singh will come live on social media at 7 PM on Saturday after observing that ‘wrong things are being spread about the wrestlers in the society by some politicians for their personal interest’.

Phogat took to Twitter to make the announcement. Olympic medalists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik also tweeted the same. Olympians Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat along with other wrestlers had been on a protest in the national capital since the beginning of this year in order to press for the arrest of the Brij Bhushan over allegations of sexual harassment.

Vinesh Phogat on Friday accused BJP leader Yogeshwar Dutt of leaking the names of the women wrestlers to Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and the media after the committee meeting. Earlier that day, Yogeshwar posted a video on Twitter questioning the exemption that the protesting wrestlers are reportedly getting from trials. Out of six wrestlers, Vinesh Phogat was a part of that list. She took to Twitter and posted a tweet pointing out how Yogeshwar used to suppress the voices of the female wrestlers and leaked the names of the women wrestlers to the media as well as Brij Bhushan Singh. Vinesh also went on to question the appointment of Yogeshwar to the Oversight committee. She also went on to accuse him of preventing wrestlers and coaches from joining the movement. She ended her tweet by putting a label of ‘insensitive’ on Yogeshwar and claiming that the wrestling world will remember him as a person who aided Brij Bhushan.

Dutt on Friday expressed his disappointment over reports that the Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) ad hoc committee has decided to exempt protesting wrestlers from the initial trials. The reports claimed that six wrestlers — Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Sangeeta Phogat, Satywart Kadian and Jitender Kinha — have not just been exempted from appearing in the initial trials, but have also been promised that they will compete directly against the winners of the trials. Yogeshwar took to Twitter and posted a video, questioning the criteria and parameters on which the protesting grapplers were exempted from the trials. Also questioning the wrestlers’ protest, he said he had doubts if the protest had more to do with exemption from the trials than allegations of sexual harassment against the WFI chief.

The BJP leader said he had information that the wrestlers wrote to the ad hoc committee of the IOA, seeking an exemption from trials. He reasoned that there are other grapplers, who have a stronger and more claim to exemption from trials, than those who have been away from the mat for more than a year.

Notably, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections have been postponed from July 6 to July 11, as per the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). In the election, the members of the executive committee of WFI will be decided. The occupants of the post of president, one post of senior vice-president, four posts of vice president, one each position of secretary general and treasurer, two posts of joint secretary and five posts of an executive member will be decided, as per a letter from IOA. The elections will be critical in moulding the future of wrestling in India and deciding the federation’s leadership.

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