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More than 10 years back, Delhi saw one of the fiercest protests against sexual assault of a woman who was battling for her life. The anger on the streets was the result of frustration that a woman could not be safe in the heart of the country’s capital. She died days later, leaving millions of strangers in despair. Questions and concerns over women’s safety remained.
It’s 2023, and India’s top wrestlers are on the streets again in the heart of the same city, at the same spot. Their calls for action against BJP MP Brij Bhushan Singh, who has been at the helm of the Wrestling Federation of India for about 10 years, are yet to be addressed. Singh has been accused of sexually harassing several women wrestlers during his tenure as the WFI chief. The six-time member of parliament, however, has been unfazed by the demonstrations while claiming innocence.
It’s been a month since the wrestlers’ protest is on at the iconic protest site – Jantar Mantar – where agitators from across the country come in the hope of creating a dent. These wrestlers, who have earned international fame over the years, include Vinesh Phogat, sister Sangeeta Phogat, her husband Brijesh Punia, and Sakshi Malik.
On Sunday, when the country’s new parliament, just kms away, was being inaugurated, the protesters’ march was halted. In visuals that should raise serious concerns for any democracy, the Phogat sisters were seen pinned to the ground. They were detained and booked – all this while a protest against sexual harassment is on.
Vinesh Phogat summed up their struggle on Twitter with the defining visual of their Sunday’s protest when the police action peaked.
“Oh mighty river, you can no longer escape.
The droplets have rebelled
Do not consider us oblivious, oh you coward.
The waves have rebelled,
We rebels are no less than death
Death does not trigger fear
Oh sword, you will have to bow down
The target has rebelled” – This is the loose translation of her post in Hindi.
