NEW DELHI, April 24 (silubaba) -- India's top wrestlers Monday resumed their protest demanding the arrest of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and lawmaker from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, for alleged sexual abuse.
The wrestlers Sunday evening assembled at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, the capital city of India, demanding the registration of a police case against Singh.
"Last time we ended our protest in haste. We have been betrayed and have fallen prey to politics," said Vinesh Phogat, the first Indian woman wrestler to win gold at both the Commonwealth and Asian Games. "We want women wrestlers who have raised their voices against Brijbhushan Sharan Singh's sexual abuse to get justice."
Jantar Mantar in New Delhi in the past served as an observatory for astronomical measurement, but in the present era, the road is ground to protests and agitations in the capital city.
Phogat urged people to support the women wrestlers in their fight for justice.
"Please support us in our fight for self-esteem and in the larger interest of the wrestling sport," Phogat appealed to people with folded hands.
On Sunday night, she posted a photo of the protesters sleeping in the open.
"From podium to footpath! Under the open sky at night in the hope of justice," reads the cutline for the photograph.
Meanwhile, the wrestlers have filed a petition in the country's Supreme Court.
"We have approached Supreme Court and are hopeful that the top court will deliver justice in our case," Phogat said. "Despite our complaints, the police are not registering a first information report (FIR) against Singh. The investigation in our case should be done in a fair manner."
The wrestlers first sat in protest against Singh in January this year. However, they called off protests after the government promised to investigate their complaints.
India's federal sports minister Anurag Thakur had announced that Singh facing allegations of sexual harassment and misappropriation of funds will step aside from the governing body of the sport until the completion of the probe.
The Indian Olympic Association has also announced a seven-member panel to investigate the allegations against Singh.
Singh, however, had denied the allegations and said he was ready for an investigation.
Singh has been at the helm of WFI since 2011. He was elected president of WFI for the third consecutive time in February 2019.
Local media reports said the government panel submitted its report in the first week of April, but the ministry is yet to make its findings public. ■
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