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The wrestlers are on protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
New Delhi:
Wrestlers protesting in Delhi over sexual harassment allegations in opposition to the federation chief and coaches on Thursday mentioned they weren’t glad after talks with the federal government on Thursday and “will not wrestle one other day” until their calls for are met.
Listed below are the ten newest developments on this story:
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“We have now not acquired a passable response; solely assurances, no concrete motion. We won’t stop until the federation chief is eliminated, and he goes to jail. We have now 5-6 ladies with proof. If the federal government doesn’t act, we’ll go to the police,” Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik mentioned.
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At a information convention earlier than wrapping up the second day of their sit-in at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar with round 200 others, the three wrestlers – amongst India’s most adorned wrestlers – mentioned, “We didn’t wish to take the authorized route as a result of we had religion within the Prime Minister.”
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The announcement got here following their talks on the Sports activities Ministry brokered by Olympian Babita Phogat, a member of the BJP and a part of the Haryana authorities. “I am a wrestler first. The BJP authorities is with the wrestlers. I’ve heard situations of abuse in my profession as effectively. There isn’t any smoke with out hearth,” Babita Phogat mentioned.
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The nation’s sports activities ministry on Wednesday had requested the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) to answer the allegations inside 72 hours after Vinesh Phogat, a triple Commonwealth Video games gold medallist, went public with the fees.
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WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who’s a BJP MP, has refuted the fees. “All of the sexual harassment allegations are false, and I’ll commit suicide if they’re discovered to be true,” the 66-year-old was quoted as saying by information company ANI.
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Vinesh Phogat, 28, made the allegations in opposition to Mr Singh and trainers at a public protest in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, backed by a number of different prime wrestlers. “Ladies wrestlers have been sexually harassed at nationwide camps by coaches and likewise the WFI president. I do know no less than 10-20 ladies within the nationwide camp who’ve come and informed me their tales,” she mentioned, tearing up.
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Ms Phogat mentioned she by no means confronted such exploitation herself, however claimed many wrestlers had been intimidated from coming ahead due to their humble origins. “They’re scared due to their household background. They can not battle them as a result of they’re highly effective. Wrestling is our solely livelihood, and they don’t seem to be letting us do it. Our solely choice is to die. So would possibly as effectively do good earlier than dying,” she added.
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The Delhi Fee for Ladies, an area physique that appears after girls’s points, has issued discover to the sports activities ministry and requested the town police to file a case. The organisation’s chief Swati Maliwal met the protesting wrestlers on the Jantar Mantar.
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The allegations come months after the coach of the nation’s nationwide biking workforce was sacked following sexual harassment costs.
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India’s #MeToo motion gathered momentum in 2018 after a Bollywood actress accused a senior actor of sexual harassment. Quickly after, girls from different backgrounds got here ahead with a number of allegations, together with in opposition to a former authorities minister, however activists say there was little elementary change.
(With inputs from businesses)
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