The International Olympic Committee called the treatment of Indian wrestlers by the police ‘very disturbing’ and for a speedy investigation against former WFI (Wrestling Federation of India) chief Brij Bhushan Singh.
“The IOC insists that the allegations by the wrestlers are followed up by an unbiased, criminal investigation in line with local law,” an IOC spokesperson told Sportstar.
“We understand that the first step towards such a criminal investigation has been made, but more steps have to follow before concrete actions become visible. We urge that the safety and well-being of these athletes be duly considered throughout this process and that this investigation will be speedily concluded.”
Some of India’s most prominent wrestlers, such as 2016 Olympic Games bronze medallist Sakshi Malik, Commonwealth Games gold medallist Vinesh Phogat and Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Bajrang Punia, have been protesting at Jantar Mantar for over a month against Singh, who has been accused of sexually harassing seven women wrestlers, one of whom is a minor.
Singh, a 66-year-old powerful lawmaker representing the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, has denied the accusations and called the protests “politically motivated” by the opposition Congress party.
On May 28, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Parliament building, police detained a number of protesting wrestlers, including Punia and Malik, who were attempting to march to the building.
Some of the protesters scuffled with police and were taken away in a bus. The sights of the wrestlers struggling to keep the protests going with the tricolour in hand saw several Indian athletes call for immediate action in the case.
“This video saddens me. There has to be a better way to deal with this,” Neeraj Chopra, India’s only gold medallist in athletics at the Olympic Games, replied in reaction to a tweet from Sakshi.
Sunil Chhetri, the captain of the men’s national football team tweeted, “Why does it have to come down to our wrestlers being dragged around without any consideration? This isn’t the way to treat anyone. I really hope this whole situation is assessed the way it should be.”
On Tuesday, the wrestlers threatened to immerse their medals in river Ganga if justice was not served. But after intervention by Naresh Tikait, president of Bhartiya Kisan Union, they changed their mind, giving a five-day ultimatum to the government to take appropriate action.
The treatment of wrestlers has also attracted the attention of United World Wrestling (UWW), the global governing body for the sport.
It, on Tuesday, not only condemned the treatment of the wrestlers by the Delhi Police but also said that WFI elections have to be done within 45 days. Otherwise, the federation would be banned.
“The IOC supports UWW as the competent sporting authority to address this issue as it pertains to the governance of the sport of wrestling in India. We have been informed by UWW that the President of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) is currently not in charge,” the IOC spokesperson told Sportstar.
“The IOC also urged the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to take all necessary actions to protect the athletes and to make sure that the elections of WFI are happening as planned and in line with the regulations of UWW as an International Federation.”
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