India's ace wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who has been protesting at the Jantar Mantar with other top grapplers against the sidelined Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief, Brij Bhushan Sharan, has alleged that Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur tried to suppress the matter by forming an oversight panel instead of taking concrete action.
During their second phase of their protest, wrestlers are demanding the arrest of Brij Bhushan, who is also a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP.
"We ended our protest after talking to Union Sports Minister (Anurag Thakur), and all the athletes had told him about the sexual harassment. By forming a committee, he tried to suppress the matter there; no action was taken that time," Vinesh told reporters.
The ace wrestler also said that it is tough to stand against a powerful person who is misusing his power and position for a very long time.
"It is very difficult to stand against a person who is misusing his power and position for so long," she said.
The Olympian further revealed that the wrestlers had met an official before they started their protest in Jantar Mantar, for the first time. But, no action was taken.
"Three-four months before we sat at Jantar Mantar, we had met an official, we had told him everything about how women athletes are sexually harassed and mentally tortured when no action was taken, then we sat on dharna," Vinesh said.
Resignation Will Mean I Have Accepted Allegations: Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh
Meanwhile, Brij Bhushan has refused to resign from the wrestling body, saying it would then mean he has accepted the allegations.
"If I resign that means I have accepted their allegations, my tenure is about to end. Till a new party is formed and the government has formed an IOA committee under that committee elections will be held and then my tenure will end," he told the media earlier.
The wrestlers' protest has become a huge political issue, with several opposition leaders showing solidarity with the athletes and demanding the resignation of the WFI chief.
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