Vinesh Phogat has revealed that she's one of the six victims who filed a sexual harassment complaint against former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Singh.
Vinesh said she is going on record due to safety concerns at the National Open Ranking Tournament in Gonda, where she's making a comeback to wrestling after a period of 20 months.
A court case is going on in the matter where six women wrestlers have accused Singh of sexual harassment.
"Three years ago, we also raised our voices against sexual harassment. There is a case pending in the court related to that. Six women players had complained, and based on that, the hearing is going on. The Supreme Court's guideline is that no victim's identity should be revealed because it is a matter of their dignity and honour," Vinesh said in a video posted on her social media channel.
"Today, there are certain things I feel compelled to share. I had stayed silent because the case is still pending in court, and the truth will soon come out before the country. But I want to say that I am one of the six victims who filed complaints, and our testimonies are ongoing."
Vinesh said that the ranking tournament is happening in a place where Singh's influence is strong, which raises concerns about her and her team's safety as well as potential for bias in certain decisions. She also said that the Union sports ministry is not paying enough attention to the matter and the Indian government is responsible if anything happens to her.
"The tournament is being organised at a place where his [Brij Bhushan's] influence is strong. Who will officiate which bout, how many points will be awarded, who will sit as mat chairman, everything can be controlled by him and his people," she said.
"If any untoward incident happens to me, my team or supporters during the competition, the Indian government will be responsible," Vinesh said and urged the media and the sporting community to be present at the venue to ensure transparency.
WFI president Sanjay Singh asserted that the venue for the ranking tournament in Gonda will not be changed and offered a "personal guarantee" for Vinesh's safety.
"If Vinesh is worried about her safety, let me assure her that I am taking personal guarantee of that. Also, we have UWW-approved referees who officiate and all trial bouts are recorded, so there is no chance of any bias," Sanjay Singh told PTI.
"And let me add that this is an Open tournament which is not mandatory. The choice is hers to compete. We are not going to change the venue," Sanjay Singh said.
The National Open Ranking tournament is scheduled to be held from May 10-12. The tournament will open with the men's freestyle trials and will be followed by Greco Roman (May 11) and women's events (May 12).
Vinesh spearheaded the protests against Singh in 2023 along with Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik. Several wrestlers came forward demanding action against the former federation head. Delhi Police filed a chargesheet after six women wrestlers accused him of sexual harassment and the case is now pending at a Delhi court.
Vinesh had retired from the sport after the Paris Olympics heartbreak where she was disqualified from the final after failing to clear the weigh-in on the day of the gold medal bout. She then went on to contest Haryana state assembly election and became MLA on a Congress ticket from Julana constituency.
In December last year, Vinesh decided to return to the mat with an aim to feature at the LA 2028 Olympics.
With inputs from PTI.
