With a resounding win on Thursday, Sanjay Singh was chosen as the next head of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). According to reports, Mr Singh is linked to Brij Bhushan Singh, the previous head of WFI, who has been charged with harassing female wrestlers sexually. Mr Singh disputes the claims.
Massive protests about his supposed misbehavior had been organized by wrestlers. They stopped protesting in January while a government probe was ongoing and Brij Bhushan Singh was stripped of his administrative authority.
Since the administration had not yet made public the panel’s conclusions about Mr. Singh—a six-term member of Parliament from Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government—they decided to pick up the agitation again in April.
The protest gained international attention, particularly after the wrestlers were arrested by the police while attempting to march to the new parliament building in India. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) criticized the wrestlers’ treatment and called for an impartial inquiry into their complaints.
What Happened To Sakshi Malik?
A judge granted Mr. Singh bail despite the police charging him in June with stalking, harassment, intimidation, and making “sexually colored remarks.” The wrestlers had also requested that the Ministry of Sports in India forbid anyone connected to Mr Singh from taking part in the WFI’s postponed presidential election for several months.
Ms Malik, the 2016 Rio Olympics bronze medallist in the 58kg freestyle, stated her dissatisfaction in a news conference on Thursday following the results announcement. We spent forty days sleeping on the road. She sobbed as she informed the reporters, “I quit wrestling if Brij Bhushan Singh’s business partner and close adviser is elected as the president of WFI.”
Additionally, she stated that the wrestlers had insisted on a female president to shield them from harassment. However, she asserted that women did not vote in the elections. Not one job was offered to a woman.
Pro wrestler Vinesh Phogat expressed his disapproval of the election results and declared that the “future of wrestling is dark” while taking part in the demonstrations. “To whom shall we convey our grief… we are still fighting while training,” she said. Regarding Ms Malik’s choice, Sanjay Singh has remained silent.
Sakshi clarified that the wrestlers’ struggle is not with the government but emphasized that the suspension is still unclear.
“I haven’t yet seen anything written down. I’m not sure if Sanjay Singh is the only person suspended or if everyone has been suspended. It wasn’t the government we were fighting. We fight for female wrestlers. Although I’ve declared my retirement, I still believe that the next generation of wrestlers should be treated fairly,” Sakshi stated.
The newly elected body announced in a “hurried manner” that it was organizing the U-15 and U-20 nationals “without following due procedure and not giving wrestlers sufficient notice” to make preparations. This led to the Center’s suspension order.
Unexpectedly, Sakshi Malik, a former Olympic medallist, suggests that she may change her mind about retiring after the Union Sports Ministry suspended the Wrestling Federation of India. The ban follows the uproar over the recently elected executive committee and the ministry’s “hurried” decision to host U-15 and U-20 nations without giving due notice.
Malik now implies that her choice could be impacted by the composition of the future governing council. Malik first declared her retirement in protest at the election results and Sanjay Singh’s selection as the WFI chief.
She underlines that the wrestlers’ protest is targeted especially at the ousted WFI chief, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is currently being investigated by the courts on allegations of sexual harassment rather than the government.
Malik notes that her struggle is still for justice for women wrestlers, even as she supports the government’s move to suspend the WFI and asks for further information. She understands that for the wrestling federation to run well, justice and transparency are essential.
The WFI was managed by an ad hoc committee for several months before the suspension, which ended with elections on December 21 that resulted in the appointment of Sanjay Singh, the expelled chief’s close confidant. Disgruntled wrestlers turned to protests over the election results, which led to Malik announcing his retirement and fellow wrestler Bajrang Punia returning his Padma Shri as a symbol of protest.
The prospective reversal of Sakshi Malik’s retirement decision adds an unexpected twist to the ongoing controversy, raising more questions about the welfare of women wrestlers in India as well as the complex issues within the WFI as the wrestling community waits for more developments.
