Indian Wrestlers’ Protest Sheds Light on Sexual Abuse in Indian Sports World

• Aletta Andre

  Correspondent India

A non-stop protest by Indian wrestlers in recent weeks has thrown the spotlight on sexual abuse in the Indian sports world. Not only the wrestling association WFI is confronted with it. the federations of fifteen other sports and the Ministry of Sport must also answer questions.

For more than three weeks, the wrestlers have been sitting day and night in a tent in the center of the capital New Delhi. Among them are Olympic medalists Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik. They should have been traveling between training camps and tournaments, but chose this tent.

They started the protest after a commission of inquiry set up in January failed and they had to go to court to force the police to register their complaints. That has now happened, and the board of the wrestling union has made way for an interim board. But the wrestlers want more: the arrest of former WFI head Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is also a member of parliament for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP party.

The wrestlers accuse Singh of abuse dating back more than a decade. The fact that it remained under the radar for so long raises the question of whether undesirable behavior in other sports is also left undiscussed.

The Indian Express newspaper found that sixteen of the thirty national sports federations do not have an internal complaints committee for sexual abuse, something that is required by law. The National Human Rights Commission NHRC sent letters about this to the unions and to the Ministry of Sport.

The internal complaints committees have been mandatory since a change in the law in 2013, which followed massive protests after a brutal and fatal gang rape in 2012. At the time, protests also raged against the attitude of the authorities. Several politicians and other rulers blamed the victim.

The fact that not enough has changed in the attitude of sports administrators was also apparent from the reaction of the head of the Indian Olympic Association, former athlete PT Usha. She called the protesters undisciplined and said they are giving India a bad name.

Singh denies everything and accuses his political rivals of a conspiracy. But he also had several lawsuits against him, including illegal possession of weapons and attempted murder. Indian Express further points out that the failing investigative committee consisted mainly of BJP-affiliated athletes. This all contributes to a climate in which athletes do not dare to speak out against injustice.

Singh’s dual position also exposes an undesirable relationship between sport and political power, according to Indian Express. “The State is the greatest transgressor of the law, especially those that exist to protect women’s rights. The obstacles in the way of justice are so daunting that the majority backs out after the first attempts.”

The Indian Express cites another example, of a female coach who accused the regional BJP sports minister in Haryana, former hockey champion Sandeep Singh, of sexual assault late last year. Since then she says she has been threatened, while Singh is still a minister.

In an interview with Indian Express, Vinesh Phogat also initially said he did not dare to complain to the police. Now that this has been done, she assumes that she will be punished by others in the sports world. “We know we’re going to have a hard time even if we win this battle. Not only during our careers, but even afterwards.”

Phogat expressed disappointment that there was no support from other sportsmen, such as the extremely popular cricket players in India. “Athletes must look beyond their personal gain and act according to their conscience. We are human. We will retire from sports one day. We must also build a legacy outside of sport.”

She and the other wrestlers hope their protest will improve the future for all women in the sport. If they are not proved right this week from New Delhi, they want to continue their protest in several places in India. They also want to write to international athletes. The Minister of Sports urges them to stop the protest and await the police investigation.