Olympic wrestler Sakshi Malik made startling allegations against Babita Phogat, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In a recent interview, Malik claimed that Phogat was a key figure in initiating the protests against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the former president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).
On Monday, October 21, Malik alleged that Phogat had aspirations of taking over Singh’s position and motivated wrestlers to voice their grievances against the federation’s alleged misconduct.
According to Malik, Babita Phogat organized meetings with various wrestlers to discuss the need for a protest against Brij Bhushan Singh. During these gatherings, Phogat reportedly urged her peers to stand up against the alleged cases of molestation within the wrestling community.
“Babita approached us with the idea of protesting against Brij Bhushan Singh because she had her own agenda — she wanted to become the WFI president,” Malik asserted.
Malik also addressed rumors regarding political affiliations in their protest. She clarified that despite claims of Congress support, it was two BJP leaders, including Phogat and Tirath Rana, who helped secure permission for their protests in Haryana. This information underscores the complex interplay between politics and sports in India.
The Crack In Solidarity
Sakshi Malik, one of the prominent faces of the protests, recently released her book, “Witness.” She revealed that the solidarity among the protesting wrestlers began to fracture due to influences from individuals close to fellow athletes Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat. Malik noted that these influences were driven by greed, causing divisions among the protesters.
The allegations against Brij Bhushan Singh, who is currently facing a legal battle in a Delhi court for sexually harassing women wrestlers, served as the foundation for their protest.
The ad-hoc committee that took over the WFI’s administration exempted Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat from the 2023 Asian Games trials, which created further tension within the group. Despite the temptation to seek favoritism, Sakshi Malik chose to remain steadfast in her principles and declined such offers.
Sakshi Malik expressed her initial trust in Babita Phogat, believing that having a woman athlete in a position of power could bring about meaningful change. “It’s not that we blindly followed her, but we recognized the serious issues of sexual harassment and molestation within the federation. We hoped that someone like Babita would empathize with our struggles,” Malik said.
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