The letter shared by Sakshi, written to the Union Sports Ministry, urged to postpone the trials and take them after August 10 this year.
Olympic medalist wrestler Sakshi Malik recently shared a letter addressed to the Sports Ministry, in which a group of wrestlers protesting against Brij Bhushan Singh, the chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), requested a postponement of their trials.
The letter came in response to former wrestler and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yogeshwar Dutt, who expressed disappointment in a video over reports that the Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) ad hoc committee had exempted the protesting wrestlers from the initial trials. According to the reports, six wrestlers, namely Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Sangeeta Phogat, Satywart Kadian, and Jitender Kinha, were not only exempted from the initial trials but were also promised direct competition against the winners of the trials. The letter shared by Sakshi, addressed to the Union Sports Ministry, urged for the trials to be postponed until after August 10 of this year.
Sakshi tweeted, “We agitating wrestlers had written a letter only to postpone the trials because we could not practice due to being involved in the movement for the last 6 months. We understand the seriousness of this matter, so we are sharing this letter with you. The enemy wants to break the unity of the wrestlers. Don’t let him succeed.”
Yogeshwar, in his Twitter video, questioned the criteria and parameters used to exempt the protesting wrestlers from the trials. He wondered whether the protest was more about avoiding the trials than addressing allegations of sexual harassment against the WFI chief.
The BJP leader claimed to have information that the wrestlers had written to the ad hoc committee of the IOA seeking exemption from trials. He questioned whether the protest was truly about addressing sexual harassment or simply avoiding trials.
Yogeshwar argued that there were other wrestlers who had stronger claims for exemption from trials than those who had been away from the mat for over a year. He suggested that exemptions should be given to athletes like Ravi Dhaiya, an Olympic gold medalist, or Deepak Punia, who secured fourth place in the Olympics, Anshu Malik, a silver medalist at the World Wrestling Championships, and Sonam Malik. Yogeshwar believed that exempting these six athletes from trials without proper rules or criteria was unjust. He called for all wrestlers to voice their concerns through the media, writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the IOA, and Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur.
Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, and Vinesh Phogat, three Indian wrestlers protesting against Brij Bhushan Singh, went live on social media to strongly respond to Yogeshwar Dutt’s statements. In the video, Sakshi Malik expressed, “You are spreading false information about us.”
Sakshi stated, “When the women wrestlers gave their statements in front of the committee, how can you say that Brij Bhushan Singh is not guilty and that we did not provide any statements? If you were right, you would have supported us there and stated that the girls have given statements and Brij Bhushan Singh is wrong. You are saying that we don’t want to participate in the trials, but let me tell you that we never said that we don’t want to participate. We asked for time before the trials, we requested for time. You are spreading false information about us.”
Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, and Vinesh Phogat fired back at Yogeshwar Dutt’s claim that the protesting wrestlers were exempted from the trials.
Referring to Yogeshwar, Bajrang Punia remarked, “He probably doesn’t know how to read and write, yet he’s spreading poison in society without proper knowledge. He said our fight is against those who mistreat women wrestlers, not against the wrestlers themselves. But despite that, you are speaking against us with such derogatory remarks, so we have to respond.”
Recalling the 2010 Asian Games, Bajrang Punia mentioned, “Yogeshwar was injured in 2017, and he kept saying he would participate, but just ten days before the event, he refused. He betrayed the country. Yogeshwar was also part of the team sent to the Commonwealth Games in 2014. I won’t mention the name of the other wrestler, but both of them used to go to the federation every day, demanding their selection without trials. I want to ask Yogeshwar, what achievements did you have after the Olympics? Why did you want your selection without trials? The fact that you participated in the 2014 Commonwealth Games without trials reveals your connection with Brij Bhushan Singh.”
Vinesh Phogat accused Yogeshwar Dutt’s brother of leaking confidential statements from women regarding alleged sexual harassment by Brij Bhushan Singh. She accused him of betraying the wrestling community to protect the president of the governing body of wrestling in India.
“Our seniors and experienced wrestlers have seen the world and understand the difference between truth and lies. You accuse them of being wrong and supporting the wrong people? They saw the authenticity in our emotions and that’s why they came to support us,” Vinesh said in the video.
She continued, “Your brother informed the husband of one of the girls who was providing a statement to the committee, revealing that she was giving a statement. But you had signed a confidential letter guaranteeing that nothing would be leaked, or if it happened, appropriate action would be taken. We informed the committee by email that Yogeshwar was leaking all statements of women, but no action was taken. When we told you the same, you spoke rudely to us and turned off the camera. You should have spoken to us on camera so that the whole country could witness your behavior.”
“Brij Bhushan has been found guilty in the chargesheet filed by the Delhi Police. He used to inappropriately touch women wrestlers, take photos with them, and forcefully hug them. There is audio and video evidence proving his guilt. When you were in the oversight committee, you secretly met him. He must have assured you that you would become the chief of WFI. Out of greed, you protected him. Aren’t you ashamed to be such a traitor to wrestling? You are dividing the wrestling community to gain power and control things according to your wishes,” she added.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections, initially scheduled for July 6, have been postponed to July 11, according to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
The elections will determine the members of the WFI executive committee, including the president, senior vice-president, vice presidents, secretary-general, treasurer, joint secretaries, and executive members. The nomination process and other election-related activities will take place within specific timelines as outlined by the IOA.
Previously, the IOA formed a three-member ad hoc committee in April to oversee the day-to-day activities of the WFI and select wrestlers for international events during the interim period.
After a meeting with Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, Bajrang Punia stated that the government assured them that the ongoing probe by the Delhi Police against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh would be completed before June 15.
Former Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, Mahesh Mittal Kumar, was appointed as the returning officer for the Wrestling Federation of India elections in June. The IOA authorized
