‘Our dominance is there, our dominance will continue,’ chants Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh surrounded by a coterie of his followers soon after the election of Sanjay Singh as the new president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).
Those are not the words of a man just celebrating a close ally’s win in the WFI elections. It is that man’s public show of strength against the many women and men who fought hard, and fought long, and lost lots to try to have him removed from the Wrestling Federation of India.
After all, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh won didn’t he?
He may have been ousted as the WFI chief based on the many FIRs of sexual harassment filed by female wrestlers against him, and on the basis of the ongoing court case in the matter, where Delhi Police told the court that during his tenure as the WFI president he tried to sexually harass female wrestlers every change he got and there was enough evidence to frame charges against him.
But despite all that, it was the BJP MP who was celebrating at the end of the WFI election on 21 December, 2023.
Why, you'd ask?
Because the man elected to the post to replace him, Sanjay Singh, is his close ally, someone who has worked with him for decades and a reported business partner as well. A man who considers Brij Bhushan like his elder brother. A man who headed straight to Brij Bhushan’s house in New Delhi to celebrate his win over wrestler Anita Shoeran to the president’s post by a 40-7 voting margin.
A man who was more than happy letting Brij Bhushan dictate the agenda of his tenure as the two celebrated together in front of the cameras.
"The Federation hasn’t been elected for personal good, it has been chosen to promote the country’s sports. I hope whatever wrestling lost in these in 11 months, the new Federation fixes all that and amend all the mistakes," said Brij Bhushan even as the new WFI president simply stood by his side.
So much for a Brij Bhushan-free WFI.
Because as hard as Sakhi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia had fought over the last 11 months, starting with a month long protest on the streets of Delhi in the bitter winters, losing precious training time ahead of the Asian Games. What good did it do?
Speaking to the media after the election result was announced on the 21st, a teary Sakshi Malik made the ultimate sacrifice to express just how big a let down the system has been. India's first female wrestler to win an Olympic medal announced her decision to quit wrestling.
Even as the Olympic medallist gave up on the system, broke down, and gave up on her beloved sport, what message are we sending as a nation?
That some men are just too powerful to be held accountable?
That Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, Home Minister Amit Shah could only provide assurances and break promises made to the wrestlers because a six-time sitting MP of the ruling party can’t be kept away from one sporting body?
These wrestlers put their careers on the line, the complainants put their lives on the line - some even receiving death threats - but the system is so broken that one man proved too power hungry, and too powerful, to allow Indian wrestling to see a new dawn?
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