‘Why is PM not Asking Brij Bhushan to Step Down…Daughters Belong to All’

New Delhi: Sukhjit Kaur, along with her 350 comrades, left Bathinda in Punjab late Saturday night to join the wrestlers' protests in the national capital on Sunday. However, the journey was not as smooth as they expected. The convoy of members of Bharatiya Kisan Union- Ekta Ugrahan was stopped by Haryana and Delhi Police at Bahadurgarh and Singhu Border and later released.

Kaur, clad in a yellow dupatta (stole), told NewsClick that the members joined the protest after farmers' unions gave a call to reach Delhi. However, people have an innate feeling that daughters belong to all, and they must be supported in their quest for justice.

She said Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh (Wrestling Federation of India chief, who has been accused of sexual harassment by the wrestlers) will only resign if Prime Minister Modi asks him to do so. “Why is he (PM) not asking him to step down? Our daughters brought medals for the country, and they were rightly welcomed. When they raised their voice that they were ill-treated. Nobody is ready to listen,” Kaur told NewsClick.

Kamal Kaur, standing beside Sukhjit Kaur, said that Delhi Police officials are “mere pawns” in the hands of the Centre, and are acting on the directives of the Home Ministry. “However, they should not forget the history of the farmers' movement defeating them. They had to repeal farm laws against their wishes. Our daughters will win, too,” she said.

A look at the protest site on Sunday suggested that it is slowly growing into an organic movement where people are coming along with groceries, vegetables and other items to express solidarity.

Sonu Kumar, a wrestling coach from Kharkhoda in Haryana, who was serving pooris to participants in the agitation, said it was heart-wrenching for a coach to let his trainees go through such a predicament. “Our wrestlers worked hard and won medals for our country, but what’s the value of our labour when a rogue person misbehaves with girls and we have no justice from federation and government? Have these girls ceased to be India’s daughters? They have missed training for days, and their career is at stake. Yet, Delhi Police is to record the statement of the minor girl,” Kumar told NewsClick.

The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) maintains that the police should record statements under Section 164 Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc) in front of a metropolitan magistrate, and in-camera proceedings should take place to protect the identity of the victim.

Jagmati Sangwan, a Bhim Awardee sportsperson and national vice president of All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), said thousands of people who came to the protest site to extend their solidarity were anguished and consider it a personal struggle now to get justice delivered to the women wrestlers. She said the women wrestlers had alleged that they were inappropriately touched and sexually harassed by Brij Bhushan Singh when they were called for a breathing test.

Sangwan said citizens want a safe environment for women in sports. “This is why all sections of society, be it students, youth, or women’s organisations, along with their members, have poured in thousands on the streets. I want to remind you that an FIR was registered on the instructions of the Supreme Court. However, Delhi Police is yet to arrest him for further investigation.”

On the recent “manhandling” by Delhi Police, Sangwan said tit was interesting that wrestlers are not allowed to use a cot to rest, but Singh, accused of murder, extortion and corruption, enjoys political patronage under PM Narendra Modi. “So, there is a feeling about this being a personal and shared struggle,” she told NewsClick.

The AIDWA leader alleged that multiple threats had been issued to sportspersons waging a struggle for justice. “We had a bitter experience when we initiated a struggle for justice to a woman hockey coach who alleged sexual assault by Minister Sandeep Singh in Haryana. We were arrested by Haryana Police three times a week to suppress the struggle. She is still facing danger to her life. Four FIRs were registered against her associates,” she added.

Regarding this protest, government employee wrestlers have been called on duty to prevent them from joining this struggle. Wrestlers who run their academies have been threatened with closure notices. Wrestling associations in three districts in Haryana have been banned, Sangwan said.

“On the contrary, we see that (WFI chief) Singh has been given ample time to suppress the voices of women wrestlers. We are getting reports that the birth records of the minor victim have been tampered with to evade action POCSO Act,” she said.

Darshan Pal, a core team member of the farmers’ collective, Samyukta Kisan Morcha, told NewsClick that there were several reasons for farmers' organisations to come to Jantar Mantar and extend their support. “The sons and daughters of farmers' families are bringing medals for the country. So, we can comfortably say that the farmers are cultivating crops, sons are defending borders, and daughters are winning acclaim for the country,” he said.

Pal said “the charges of sexual assault are coming from distinguished women, and it enrages everybody. Any girl, be it my granddaughter, teacher, or coach, can be harassed. As Samyukta Kisan Morcha, we have extended our support and considered it a part of our movement. We have given a call to observe big protests at block and district level by farmers’ organisations and burn an effigy of Singh from May 11-18. If there is a need for some immediate intervention, we will sit and plan action.”

“We held a meeting on April 30 and passed a resolution in their support. Today, we are turning our resolution into reality,” he added.

Pal indicated there was a clear pattern in concealing the crimes of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and crackdown to suppress democratic voices.

“When farmers and a journalists were murdered in Lakhimpur Kheri, there was a rush to wrap up the matter because a minister’s son was involved. The Supreme Court had to intervene in standard criminal justice procedures. Then Sandeep Singh's scandal reminds us of the same attitude. Now, the current protest for justice by wrestlers. I am hearing from members of BKU Ugrahan Ekta that they were stopped at several locations before joining a protest. So, claiming democratic space is a movement in itself and may this protest be the beginning of it,” he added.

Hannan Mollah, vice-president of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), told NewsClick that heads of Khaps and representatives of farmers' bodies had a meeting and decided that wrestlers would be accorded every help in getting justice. Farmers' bodies, as well as Khaps, will arrange logistics daily to run the movement smoothly.