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By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: Former wrestler and the father of the Phogat sisters, Mahavir Phogat, spoke about the wrestlers protesting in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, seeking action against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over allegations of sexual harassment against him.
“This is a do-or-die situation. We will sit on dharna till we get justice. We are united in this fight. Babita (Phogat) is also part of this fight,” Mahavir Phogat said.
“There was a dharna in January as well. We wanted to inform the sports minister, BJP chief JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah about the situation. They would have resolved the issue. A committee was formed (to probe the charges) but it did not do justice and no report was filed,” he said, adding, “There is no politics over the issue. The allegation that my family is trying to usurp power is false. Our family is together. We won’t take any position in WFI.”
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“We knew of some of the charges in 2014 but did not want to say anything then because my three daughters were playing in the Commonwealth Games. Had we spoken out then, they would not have been allowed to participate, citing indiscipline,” he claimed.
The Olympic coach also spoke about Mary Kom – the chief of the oversight committee formed in January to probe the charges against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and PT Usha, who said the protests amounted to “indiscipline” and was “tarnishing the image of India”. “PT Usha and Mary Kom being women sportsperson know better. The BJP says ‘beti bachao, beti padhao (save the daughters, educate the daughters). But it’s not about the BJP. Will I not stand with my children?” Mahavir Phogat asked.
“We are getting a lot of support and we will gherao delhi if needed. We are not against the government but against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh,” he said.
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The Dronacharya awardee, on whom Aamir Khan’s Dangal was loosely based, said he doesn’t expect much from the actors. “I don’t have expectations from any stars but if he (Aamir Khan) tweets in support, we would like it.”
The protest is not helping the wrestlers in any way, Phogat said. “The dharna is keeping our wrestlers away from practice. They could have trained better and eaten better and performed better in the upcoming competitions,” he said.
“Bhushan is making issues on policy. But which women will make a scene of her modesty? Will his daughter make such false allegations? These women have shown courage by coming out. They tried to meet him and the sports minister but they did not meet the players,” Phogat alleged.
Wrestlers are protesting in Delhi seeking action against BJP MP and WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accused of sexual harassment.
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