![]() “What is the point of life when you compromise on dignity?” “These medals decorating our necks no longer mean anything,” they said in a statement. In the days following their detention, and in an act of desperation, some of the wrestlers vowed to throw their Olympic medals in the Ganges river. The protesters were released shortly after, but their protest site has been dismantled by the police, forcing them to stop their demonstrations. Indian wrestlers Sangeeta Phogat and Vinesh Phogat struggle as they are detained by the police while attempting to march to India's new parliament in New Delhi on May 28, 2023. Police said they had failed to follow officers’ orders. In a chaotic escalation of events, officers “forcefully dragged and detained” the protesters, Malik told reporters from inside a police vehicle before being driven away. Late last month, they were detained by police as they attempted to march to New Delhi’s historic center, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was inaugurating the country’s new Parliament building – an event Singh attended. The wrestlers’ protest has become a flashpoint of criticism against the ruling establishment, with rights activists and opposition politicians accusing the authorities of blocking the course of justice.Īmong those leading the protests were Olympians Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik, whose rise to prominence in the male-dominated sport brought joy and pride to millions in the country.īut for months, their faces have been plastered across television screens for very different reasons. Indian wrestlers attempt to march to India's new parliament, just as it was being inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a protest against Brij Bhushan Singh in New Delhi on May 28, 2023. ![]() Singh has alleged – without providing evidence – that opposition parties were behind the protests. The charges come months after some of India’s top female wrestlers accused Singh – who is also a powerful politician from the country’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – of sexual harassment, staging weeks of protests and demanding his arrest.ĭelhi police were initially criticized for being slow to act on the allegations, but launched an investigation in late April following an intervention by the Supreme Court. While Singh was initially accused of harassing a minor, he has not been charged under India’s child abuse laws because the alleged victim and their father had revoked their accusations, Nalwa said.ĬNN has reached out to Singh and some wrestlers who have participated in the protests for comment. Singh, who denies all allegations of sexual harassment, has not been arrested. “The charge sheet has been filed in the court and now the rest of the proceedings will be taking place in the court itself, where the court will be framing the charges and the trial,” she said. Singh has been accused of assault, stalking, and sexual harassment, senior Delhi police official Suman Nalwa told CNN. Delhi police on Thursday formally pressed charges against Indian wrestling chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, following weeks of protests by female athletes over claims of sexual harassment.
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