‘We are also his daughters’: Vinesh Phogat says no woman BJP MP met protesting wrestlers

New Delhi: Asian Games gold medalist Vinesh Phogat, one of the country’s top wrestlers who has demanded the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for alleged sexual harassment of women wrestlers, on Sunday said the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Not a single woman is a wrestler. The MP had met her to ‘support her fight for the dignity of women’. Speaking to reporters, Phogat, who has been staging a sit-in at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar along with medal-winning wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik for the past 22 days, said that from Monday they will deliver letters by hand or through e-mail. To all the women MPs of the ruling party to come and support them.

Vinesh Phogat said, ‘When he talks about the safety of women in the country, we are also his daughters and he should come forward and support us.’

He said he felt that ‘their voices and complaints’ have not yet reached ‘him’.

“We feel that after receiving the letter, they will come and support us,” he said.

Vinesh also requested the people gathered at Jantar Mantar to come to their respective district headquarters on May 16 and submit a memorandum in support of the wrestlers.

Meanwhile, the protesting wrestlers termed the Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) decision to take charge of all activities of the Wrestling Federation of India as the ‘first step’ in its fight against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

The IOA, through its letter dated May 12, asked the WFI secretary general to submit official documents including financial means to its ad-hoc panel, making it clear that the outgoing office-bearers will have no role in the running of the federation. IOA’s three-member ad-hoc committee has made it clear that the process of electing new office-bearers of WFI will be completed within a time limit of 45 days and the charge will be handed back to the elected body.

“This (dissolution of the existing WFI) is the first step in our fight for justice. Our fight has truly begun, it is a victory for us…and we will continue or fight till we get Justice is not served,” said Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Bajrang Punia.

It is noteworthy that the wrestlers are demanding the arrest of BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, whom they have accused of sexually abusing several female wrestlers, including a minor.

The Delhi Police has registered two FIRs including Section 10 of the POCSO Act against Singh, who has denied all the charges.