Day 3 of Wrestlers Protest: Centre’s Committee Accused of Bias; SC Issues Notice

Responding to the protesting wrestlers' plea, politicians like Bhupinder Hooda & Udit Raj joined dharna on Tuesday.

The Indian wrestlers’ ongoing protest against the Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) sidelined chief, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, continued for the third day since its resumption, with the grapplers remaining firm in their dharna, at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.

Here is a roundup of what happened on Tuesday, 25 April:

Supreme Court Issues Notice to Delhi Police

Previously, the likes of Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat stated that an FIR is yet to be registered against Singh, despite seven grapplers lodging complaints of sexual harassment at the Connaught Place police station. The wrestlers had also moved Supreme Court a day ago, seeking its intervention in the matter.

On Tuesday, the apex court issued a notice to the Delhi Police, asking them to furnish their response by Friday, 28 April. "There are serious allegations made in the petition by wrestlers who have represented India and sexual harassment meted out to them. The matter requires consideration by this court," CJI Chandrachud said.

Sakshi Malik Accuses Oversight Committee’s Members of Showing Shallow Sympathy

The wrestlers, meanwhile, have accused the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports’ (MYAS) oversight committee, which was constituted for conducting a probe, of being biased in their investigation.

Speaking exclusively to The Quint, Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik said “Further alleging bias from the oversight committee, she added “The female members of the committee started tearing up while hearing our testimonies. They assured us of getting justice, where is that justice now? Sources inform us that their report did not mention anything about our statements – so were your tears fake?”

Moreover, Sakshi also claimed that Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, might be flexing his political muscles to sway the investigative procedure in his favour.

“He is from the ruling party (Bharatiya Janata Party). We are wrestlers, not politicians – we don’t know much about internal political affairs. But surely, there is (external) support (for Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh). That is the reason why an FIR has not been registered yet,” she added.

Politicians Respond to Wrestlers’ Plea

Politicians from opposing parties – including Indian National Congress’ Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Udit Raj, and Communist Party of India’s (Marxist) Brinda Karat, joined the protestors in their dharna, responding to the wrestlers' plea for assistance from all political parties.

Speaking to the media, former Haryana chief minister Hooda said “These wrestlers have made the nation proud, not just an area. Sportspersons and coaches from across India are here. They should have been in stadiums today, and practising there to make the country proud, why are they forced to sit at Jantar Mantar today? This is a serious question, and allegations raised by them should be probed and they must get justice.”