Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Wrestler Vinesh Phogat on Sunday disclosed that she is one of the six female wrestlers who had accused former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment.The announcement comes just days before her return at a ranking tournament in Brij Bhushan’s stronghold Gonda, marking her first appearance in nearly 20 months after coming out of retirement in Dec last year.Vinesh, a two-time World Championships medallist and three-time Olympian, had earlier not publicly identified herself, citing ongoing legal proceedings. In a 4-minute, 22-second Instagram video, she said “certain circumstances” compelled her to speak out despite the matter being sub judice.“The Supreme Court guidelines say that the identity of any victim should not be revealed … but today, due to certain circumstances, I want to tell you something,” said Vinesh, “I myself am one of those six victims who filed a complaint, and our testimonies are still ongoing.”Vinesh has also raised serious concerns about the upcoming competition’s fairness and venue, alleging that it is being held in Brij Bhushan’s bastion and at an institution linked to him.
“For a woman, competing in such a situation is very difficult,” she said. “He has his own private college, and this competition is being organised there… it is almost impossible that every hard working athlete will get their due.”WFI president Sanjay Singh said the venue for the National Open Ranking Tournament in Gonda would not be changed and offered a “personal guarantee” for her safety.Vinesh is now also a legislator, having won the Julana seat in Haryana on a Congress ticket in 2024.Urging transparency about the venue, she said: “If any untoward incident happens to me, my team or supporters, the Indian govt will be responsible”.She alleged officiating and scoring could be influenced by those loyal to Singh.Who will referee whose match, how many points a referee will give…all of these will be controlled by Brij Bhushan and his people. And the govt and our sports ministry are watching this as silent spectators,” added Vinesh.Sanjay Singh told PTI that “If Vinesh is worried about her safety, let me assure her that I am taking personal guarantee of that. Also, we have UWW-approved referees who officiate and all trial bouts are recorded, so there is no chance of any bias”. “And let me add that this is an Open tournament which is not mandatory. The choice is hers to compete. We are not going to change the venue,” Singh said.Vinesh was a central figure in the 2023 protests at Jantar Mantar, where the country’s top female wrestlers accused Brij Bhushan of intimidation and sexual harassment and demanded accountability from WFI. The case against Brij Bhushan, who has denied all allegations, continues in court with victim testimonies still being recorded. When contacted, Singh declined to comment, stating that the matter is under judicial consideration.Her comeback tournament, the National Open Ranking scheduled from May 10 to 12 in Gonda, is part of the Senior Open ranking series and will see her compete in the 57kg category. The event serves as a pathway for wrestlers aiming to enter the national camp and stake a claim in the Asian Games trials.
