Key players of the 36-day wrestlers’ protest

Few would have envisaged the mayhem that played out at Jantar Mantar on May 28, when the protesters, who had been camping there since April 23, decided to take out a march towards the Parliament barely three kilometres away.

The new Parliament building, which had been under construction for some years, was finally ready and was being inaugurated by the Prime Minister; the event was being boycotted by several opposition parties. Security detail in and around the historic district was as tight as it had ever been. Anticipating a glut of supporters, the police began sealing Ghazipur, Tikri, and Singhu borders on May 27 itself, and by night, the protest site was completely sealed.

“The police have been picking up our supporters all day. But, we shall march even if we have only 100 people,” a wrestler who didn’t wish to be named told HT.

Then, addressing a much-delayed press conference at 9:30 pm, Vinesh Phogat said the wrestlers were approached by representatives from the central government with a compromise formula, but since the offer did not include the arrest of Singh, the talks fell away.

“The Mahila Samman Mahapanchayat will happen at any cost tomorrow (May 28),” a tearful Phogat declared.

The next morning, the wrestlers addressed a few media persons — a majority were denied entry — and claimed the police were not allowing them to leave the protest site. The simmering tension finally boiled over at around 11 am — the scheduled time for the proposed panchayat — when wrestlers and their supporters began their march. A police barricade gave way, allowing the supporters to charge through.

Vinesh and Sangeeta Phogat jumped barricades and marched on, but were overpowered by personnel from Rapid Action Force and Delhi Police within minutes, ironically in front of Brij Bhushan’s house that stands roughly 200 metres from the protest site. Sakshi Malik, a bronze medallist at Rio Olympics in 2016, was stopped in front of Kerala House.

As the images of women wrestlers fighting the police beamed across the globe, the world took note. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and United World Wrestling (UWW) have issued statements condemning the incident, while India’s sporting heroes Abhinav Bindra and Neeraj Chopra have tweeted their concern.

The protest now stands at a very crucial juncture. Distressed at the police action — they were detained and charged under Sections 147, 149, 186, 188, 332, 355 of the IPC — on May 30, the wrestlers went to Haridwar to immerse their haul of international medals in the Ganga. It took a late intervention from Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) president Naresh Tikait to dissuade them. Tikait has also sought five days from the wrestlers to get them justice.

Meanwhile, Brij Bhushan Singh, who attended the Parliament’s inauguration, said on Thursday, “Immersing your medals in the Ganga won’t get me hanged. If you (wrestlers) have any evidence, present it to the Court.” He has also planned an event on June 5 where advocates and seers are expected to discuss the “misuse of law”.

We take a look at some of the key figures in the protest:

Bajrang Punia: “Getting justice for these girls will mean more to me than an Olympics medal”

A soft-spoken man, Punia has emerged as one of the most recognisable faces and voices of the stir. Following the late-night scuffle with Delhi Police in early May, Punia broke down in front of TV cameras and vowed to return his international medals and national honours —he is the recipient of Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ranta as well as Padma Shri. As far as his wrestling future goes, Punia is convinced his fight for justice is worth more than the medals he will ever win.

“Getting justice for these girls will mean more to me than an Asian Games or an Olympics medal,” he said.

Punia said he was aware of the challenges that a fight against a man of Singh’s clout throws up. “Back in December, when I, Vinesh, and Sakshi met, we considered all the worst-case scenarios. We gave each other time to think it through. I must say it was not a very easy decision because we knew our careers would end. We knew that post-career options such as coaching or administration will not be available to us. We knew that the government could send the CBI and ED to implicate us in false cases. We knew there could be attempts of intimidation and threats. It wasn’t an easy decision, but I wouldn’t have faced myself had I backed out. Once our minds were made, there were no second thoughts,” he said.

The wrestlers had earlier protested in January, and it took an assurance from sports minister Anurag Thakur to call off their sit-in after a week. The ministry had then directed Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to form an Oversight Committee to run WFI and probe wrestlers’ allegation. However, with no tangible action in three months, the wrestlers appraoched the Parliament Street police station in New Delhi to lodge an FIR against Singh. The police, however, only registered a complaint which proved to be the final trigger for them to resume their sit-in.

“Back in January, we were duped by politicians and their assurances. It won’t happen again. We won’t go away till Singh is arrested,” Punia said.

Vinesh Phogat: “Congratulations on the new country”

Along with Sakshi, she was instrumental in helping the minor come out and lodge the FIR.

In arguably the most defining images of the protest, on May 28, Vinesh clasped her cousin Sangeeta, on the Jantar Mantar road as the police tried to drag them away from their march towards the Parliament. Moments later, while being driven away in a police vehicle, Vinesh, in a painfully cynical tone, told the cameras, “Congratulations on the new country.”

Sakshi Malik: “Fighting for our rights.. is nothing compared to the training we undergo”

Earlier in May, Sakshi called for a narco test on Singh. “There are people who call us liars. I demand a narco test be done on Singh and us, and whoever is found to be lying can be hanged,” she said. Later, Singh accepted the challenge and expressed his readiness to undergo the lie-detector test.

At 30, Sakshi’s best years on the mat may be behind her, but the feisty grappler is ready to fight the longest bout of her career. “This protest is nothing compared to the training we do. There are days when we go without food; even water intake is carefully monitored. Here, we are fighting for our rights. It’s not at all tough,” she had said.

Their training regimen thrown off gear, the wrestlers trained at Jantar Mantar for a few days. Later, they also visited Karnail Singh Stadium for some mat training but with their diet, recovery, and training nowhere close to what it should be, their immediate wrestling future appears in tragic jeopardy.