Wrestlers file writ petition in Supreme Court, seek FIR against Brij Bhushan | More sports News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: The country’s top wrestlers, who are staging a sit-in protest at the Jantar Mantar here, are in no mood to relent. On Monday, they took their fight to the next stage by filing a writ petition, seeking a direction for registration of an FIR against Wrestling Federation of India‘s (WFI) sidelined president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Senior advocate Narender Hooda, representing the wrestlers, mentioned the plea before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Monday. The CJI asked Hooda to mention the matter again on Tuesday as the petition was not on the initial list of mentioned matters on Monday.
The petition will now be heard at 10.30 am on Tuesday.
In their petition, the wrestlers have cited an unjustifiable delay in the registration of an FIR by Delhi Police against the WFI president and urged the apex court to issue a direction to the police.
“Clearly, the Delhi Police is under political pressure. If this was a regular case, the accused would have been arrested by now. The complainants include a minor, so a case under POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act) should also be registered,” advocate Hooda said.

The Delhi Police, on its part, have sought a report from the oversight committee that was established by the Union sports ministry earlier in January when the wrestlers had first staged their protest.
“We have received seven complaints and are conducting an inquiry into all of them. We will register an FIR once we get concrete evidence,” a senior police official told TOI on the condition of anonymity.
In another development during the day, which favoured the protesting wrestlers, the sports ministry stalled WFI’s proposed elections on May 7 and declared it to be “null and void”. The ministry requested the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to form a transitory or ad-hoc committee to run the day-to-day affairs of WFI and to conduct elections to its new executive committee within 45 days of the formation of such interim body. The committee will also select wrestlers for international tournaments in the interim period.

“Since wrestling is an Olympic sport and WFI is an affiliate member of the IOA and taking note of the current situation of administrative void in WFI, it becomes incumbent on the part of the IOA to make suitable interim arrangements for managing WFI so that sportspersons of wrestling discipline do not suffer in any manner,” read the ministry letter.
“In light of the aforementioned, it is requested that a transitory or ad-hoc committee may be constituted by the IOA to conduct the election of the executive committee of the WFI within 45 days of its formation, and to manage the affairs of the WFI, including the selection of athletes and making of entries for the participation of sportspersons in international events, for the interim period till the newly-elected executive committee takes charge.”
Later in the evening, a high-ranking official from the Sports Authority of India (SAI) came to the protest site to broker a peace deal and to convince the wrestlers to call off their protest.

Hectic parleys went on between the two parties for over an hour, but the wrestlers, led by Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, refused to relent.
“I tried my level best to make them understand, but they are not ready to budge even an inch. They’re saying ‘we do not have any faith on the ministry’s assurances. Last time, we called off our protest after being assured by the sports minister that our demands will be fulfilled.’ Their view is that they’ve been deceived,” the official told TOI.
On Monday, the wrestlers once again conducted a press conference and this time even Prime Minister Narendra Modi couldn’t escape their fury.
“I ask the PM why you are silent? When players get medals, you stand with them. But when they are on the road, then you are silent. Why this kind of treatment?” said Bajrang. “When we win medals, we aren’t from Haryana or a particular community. But when we protest for our rights, we are from Haryana. Why this double standard?”
Vinesh didn’t even spare her cousin sister Babita, who was a member of the oversight committee.

“Babita came to mediate, but now she is with the BJP. We don’t trust anyone now,” said Vinesh. “The oversight committee was biased from the start. No one contacted us to know our perspective. Now that we have gone to the Supreme Court, the pressure to make the report public is on the ministry.”
“It is a shame that we are being asked about this Haryana vs UP thing or whether we are from BJP or Congress. Let me say this categorically we are from India. And Brij Bhushan is getting the advantage over us because he is from the BJP. He has the power of money, but we have the power of truth,” said Sakshi.
The day also saw various political organizations affiliated to different political parties come to the protest site and join the wrestlers.
Netta D’Souza, acting president of the All India Mahila Congress; Sushil Gupta, a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP); representatives of Rakesh Tikait’s Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU); members of All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), which is the women’s wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), among others, were seen raising their voices in favour of the wrestlers as the protest took a political colour.

“A wrong happened with these daughters who brought glory to the country. They raised their voice against the wrong, but what did they get? Instead of getting justice, they are in tears and the Prime Minister and his coterie, who make tall claims on women’s safety every day, are sitting silently to save the BJP MP. Prime Minister ji, you will have to account for each and every tear of these daughters,” D’Souza said.
In January, the wrestlers didn’t allow any political overtone to their protest. But this time, it’s different.
“All parties are welcomed, be it the BJP, Congress, Aam Aadmi Party or any other party. When we win a medal, we don’t wave any party’s flag but only the Indian flag. When we win medals, it’s for everyone and not just one party,” said Bajrang.