Protesting wrestlers have ended their agitation against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the chief of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and BJP MP. They have announced that their next battle will take place in the court rather than on the streets.
This decision comes in response to reports suggesting that the athletes might resume their protest against Singh, who is facing allegations of sexual assault. Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia took to Twitter to express their stance, stating that the government has fulfilled its promise of filing a chargesheet against Singh.
“We will continue our fight for justice, but it will be in the court, not on the road,” their statement on Twitter read. They also mentioned that the election process for reforming the WFI has begun and they will wait for the government to fulfill its promises regarding the July 11 elections.
Following the statement, Vinesh and Sakshi announced that they will be taking a break from social media for a few days. In a live address on social media the day before, Vinesh, Sakshi, and Bajrang had criticized former wrestler and current BJP leader Yogeshwar Dutt for questioning the decision of the IOA ad-hoc panel to exempt them from the Asian Games trials.
During the address, the wrestlers emphasized that their fight against Singh will persist. They mentioned that they will assess the strength of the chargesheet filed against Singh and determine the course of action accordingly.
Vinesh expressed, “This fight will continue, whether it is on the mat or off the mat, but the fight for justice will continue… Till Brij Bhushan is not put behind bars, he doesn’t pay for his sins, it will continue. Our fight has not ended.”
Vinesh also accused Dutt of targeting them due to his own self-interest. The wrestlers suspended their protest on May 28 after receiving assurance from Sports Minister Anurag Thakur that a chargesheet would be filed against Singh by June 15 and none of his family members would be allowed to contest WFI elections.
Having received massive support from farmer leaders, khap panchayats, and various organizations, the wrestlers sat at Jantar Mantar for 38 days before being detained by Delhi Police for violating law and order. They initially began their protest on January 18 and suspended it for three days after Thakur promised to investigate their allegations of sexual harassment and intimidation against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a six-time BJP MP.
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