New Delhi: Sakshi Malik and her husband, fellow-wrestler Satyawart Kadian, stressed on Saturday that their protest is not against the government, and neither is it instigated by Congress party.
“Our fight is not against the government but specifically against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has been accused of multiple sexual misconduct incidents by seven wrestlers,” Kadian said in a video shared by him and Sakshi today.
The 11-minute-long video, posted on Twitter, is meant to address allegations made against the wrestlers who have been demanding action against outgoing Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan.
In the video titled ‘The Truth’, the couple provides a detailed account of the protest movement, which started in January at Jantar Mantar and was called off pending an inquiry, before being restarted on April 23 at the same venue.
“Majority of wrestlers and coaches associated with wrestling are aware of the problems within the federation, including the molestation charges they have raised,” said Kadian.
“Many individuals within the wrestling community wanted to raise their voices against the problems but lacked unity and feared negative consequences for their careers,” he remarked.
On why they remained silent for such a long time, Olympic medallist Sakshi said that the “lack of unity within the federation made it difficult to address the issue… there was fear for the safety of a minor child and her family, and this pressure was the second challenge for us”.
The couple spoke about the May 28 incident, when the wrestlers were dragged and detained after trying to move towards the new Parliament building for a women’s ‘Mahapanchayat’, to draw the Union government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attention to their protest.
“The May 28 incident deeply affected us…. Our pride and reputation were tarnished, and we were unable to respond to the incident… As a result, we decided to immerse their medals in the Ganga as a symbolic gesture,” Kadian said.
However, when the wrestlers reached Haridwar on May 30, politics came into play again, he claimed.
“One person took Bajrang (Punia) away and kept him waiting till 7 pm, assuring that justice would be served and some call was being taken,” Kadian said.
The wrestlers ultimately didn’t immerse their medals in the Ganga.
“Bajrang was made to wait and we encountered delays and it ultimately led to a situation where immersing their medals could have sparked violence on the spot,” Kadian said.
“We were already shattered from all that had happened and due to our poor mental state, we couldn’t even fully understand the unfolding events,” he added.
“After the incident, we felt lost and unsure about who was genuinely on their side… we were advised to meet Home Minister Amit Shah, which we did to present our side of the story,” he clarified.
Kadian requested people not to believe rumours and apologised for any mistake the wrestlers may have made.
He thanked every individual and group which have helped and supported them “unconditionally”.
A chargesheet has been filed against Brij Bhushan, in which he has been charged for stalking and sexual harassment offences.
Have a look at the video shared on Twitter:
The Truth.#WrestlersProtest pic.twitter.com/eWHRpOSwD9
— Sakshee Malikkh (@SakshiMalik) June 17, 2023
