Wrestlers not allowed to sit-in protest at India Gate
Madan B. Lokur, a former judge of the Supreme Court, criticised the Delhi Police on Tuesday for how it handled the cases brought against Brij Bhusan Sharan Singh, the outgoing president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), and how it handled the wrestlers who were protesting against whom FIRs had been filed.
What did Former SC Judge say?
Justice Lokur stated during a panel discussion on “Wrestlers’ Struggle: Accountability of Institutions” that as long as the grapplers wait for justice, the victims are being ‘re-victimized’. “This is a clear case of re-victimisation, The wrestlers have said they are under pressure,” he said.
The former Supreme Court judge criticised the Delhi police for delaying the process and claimed that the wrestlers were compelled to take to the streets since their complaints against Mr. Singh, a BJP MP, went unanswered. In addition, he emphasised that the WFI lacked a committee to handle sexual harassment claims, which is illegal.
“When the protest started in January, it was not like they decided to go to Jantar Mantar straight away. The sexual harassment had started much earlier. They made complaints, but there was no complaints committee in the wrestling federation,” he said.
Justice Lokur also discussed the wrestlers’ could be threatened and pressurised, hence emphasised that the Supreme Court had ruled that security should be provided for them.
“We saw the ugly scenes that happened on May 28, the victims are being told that they are criminals because they staged a protest,” he said.
What did SC lawyer say over wrestlers’ protest?
In the case of the wrestlers, Supreme Court attorney Brinda Grover contended that the State had broken the law. Grover asserted that in cases where the State is employing its agencies to break the law, the courts need to see the matter from a different perspective.
According to Brinda Grover, this case sends out the message that women shouldn’t come forward with sexual crimes against prominent people. It is mandatory under law to have an internal complaints committee. The State is in breach of law by not having an ICC in the wrestling federation,” she said.
Leading wrestlers from India, including two Olympic medalists and a world champion, have demanded that the WFI chief be held accountable for alleged sexual harassment of female wrestlers.
In response to the wrestlers’ initial protests in January, a committee was instructed to investigate their claims. The committee’s report was not made public.
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On April 23, the wrestlers sat in protest at Jantar Mantar. They were forcibly removed by the Delhi Police on May 28, the day the new Parliament building was inaugurated.
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