Wrestlers' protest amounts to indiscipline, PT Usha had said
Days after critisising the #MeToo protest against the federation chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha today met the wrestlers at Delhi's Jantar Mantar.
PT Usha, a former Olympian, left the protest site without talking to the media gathered there, however, wrestler Bajrang Punia said she has assured help to the players. "Ms Usha said her comments were misinterpreted and that she is first an athlete and then an administrator. She said she is with us," Mr Punia.said.
"She said she will try to resolve all our problems and help us get justice," he said.
Ms Usha had last month criticised the wrestlers for not waiting for the report of a committee that has been tasked to look into their allegations before deciding to sit on a public protest.
"The protest amounts to indiscipline," she had said.
"The players should not have protested on the streets. They should have at least waited for the report of the committee. What they have done is not good for the game and the country. It is a negative approach," Ms Usha said.
The wrestlers had reacted strongly to Ms Usha's statement, saying they were hurt by her comments as they were looking up to her for support.
"We feel hurt by PT Usha's comment. She is not supporting us despite being a woman herself. What indiscipline have we done? We are sitting here peacefully. If we had got justice, we would not have done this," wrestler Sakshi Malik had said.'
We don't know whether she is under some kinds of pressure," wrestler Vinesh Phogat said.
Top Indian wrestlers have been protesting at Jantar Mantar in the national capital against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over allegations of sexual harassment.
The Delhi Police have filed two cases against Mr Singh over the sexual assault allegations against him. One of the FIRs is based on a complaint by a minor, filed under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Despite the assurance of police action, the wrestlers said they will continue their sit-in protest demanding the "immediate arrest" of the WFI chief.
"We respect Supreme Court's order, but we don't have faith in Delhi Police. This fight is not for an FIR. This fight is to punish people like him. He needs to be in jail and stripped of his portfolios," the wrestlers had said.