"We kept quiet because we were concerned about our careers": Sakshi Malik

• Image Credit: Google

• May 3, 2023 | Dhupali Das

Rio Olympics bronze medallist Sakshi Malik stated that this was not the first time wrestlers sought law enforcement authorities...

Digital Desk: As the wrestlers' Jantar Mantar protest entered its tenth day, they were eager to put to rest the charges leveled against them by WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The BJP MP from Gonda in Uttar Pradesh has refuted the sexual harassment claims leveled against him and has frequently pondered, through media interactions, why the protesters have remained mute for so long.

Rio Olympics bronze medallist Sakshi Malik stated that this was not the first time wrestlers sought law enforcement authorities demanding an FIR against Brij Bhushan. She claimed that in 2012, a group of young athletes approached the police in Lucknow to file an FIR against him, but it was dropped due to the BJP strongman's influence.

"A national camp for juniors was held in Lucknow in 2012. An FIR was filed for sexual harassment, but the case was handled within 24 hours and the FIR was dismissed. Back then, about 5-7 girls approached the police to file a FIR for sexual harassment," Sakshi said.

The wrestler stated that this was not one-off case when Brij Bhushan used his power to dodge the law. "In 2014, you may have heard of a physio (Paramjeet Malik) who was in the national camp and was working with Geeta Phogat. His wife was a wrestler who was also in the national camp at the time. "When he voiced against these events and talked to other coaches about it, the physio and his wrestler wife were quickly removed from the camp, and she hasn't been able to compete since," she added.

Paramjeet told The Indian Express that in February, he appeared twice before the sports ministry's oversight committee, the first in person and then via video chat, to investigate the claims against Brij Bhushan. He stated that he had also told the panel about the 2014 incident.

"In 2014, I was Geeta Phogat's personal physio. During the national camp in Lucknow in 2014, the cadet wrestlers broke down and told me and senior wrestlers, including my wife Suman Kundu, about Brij Bhushan's alleged sexual harassment," Paramjeet said.

These alleged cases, Sakshi and the other protesting wrestlers claimed, had made them scared of Brij Bhushan's strength and influence. Even if they wanted to speak up, they felt that doing so would have ended their careers prematurely as young athletes at the time.

"This is why we remained silent for so long. We knew how it would end, so we wanted to fight and save our careers. We were afraid to speak up back then, but now that we've advanced, we are able to stand up for our fellow athletes," Sakshi told the reporters on Tuesday.

The protesting wrestlers were also highly disturbed by five-time World Champion boxer MC Mary Kom's silence on the matter. Mary chaired the sports ministry's oversight committee. "I believe they (PT Usha and Mary Kom) have forgotten that they are in power today because of sports. They were athletes once, and now they are politicians," said bronze medalist Bajrang Punia.

During a press conference last week, IOA President PT Usha stated that the protesting wrestlers were tarnishing the country's image. The statement not only garnered harsh condemnation from numerous quarters, but it also harmed the wrestlers. Sakshi, who idolised PT Usha, found it difficult to swallow.

"We come from very humble backgrounds, and as children, we all yearned to meet legends like PT Usha. We pondered whether we would ever have the chance to meet Sachin Tendulkar as we watched him on our box TVs with the water coolers running in the background. I simply have one question for Usha Ma'am: Does your official position have any value if you can't relate to other women's suffering as you are a woman? asked Sakshi.