The photograph of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh – a former president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) accused of sexual harassment by some of the top sportspersons and Olympian medallists in the sport – holding up the victory sign after the announcement of the results of the WFI elections on December 21 says it all. The results send a message of impunity and freedom to those who violate the law.
Any hope that the protests led by Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and Vinesh Phogat would yield results in the form of punishment to Brij Bhushan Singh accused of sexual harassment under the aegis of his presidentship of the WFI, was buried when the results of the elections to the WFI were announced on December 21, 2023.
Do the results mark a closure to the serious issues raised by women wrestlers with support from their male colleagues? Does the sequence of events as it played out over 2023 hold out hope for those who would like to see the premier sports bodies in India become more democratic and representative of the changing aspirations of a young India where the best talent has sprung from some of the most underprivileged social groups? In sharp contrast to this reality, the sports bodies remain mired either in the antics of a bygone era, combined with the BJP’s own version of parivaarvaad.
In a meeting with the sports minister held in June 2023, the wrestlers had put forward five demands. These were that Brij Bhushan Singh be arrested given the charges against him, free and fair elections to the Wrestling Federation of India, the appointment of a woman chief of the WFI, and that Brij Bhushan Singh or his family members should not be part of the WFI. They had also demanded that the police case filed against them in May, the day India’s new parliament building was inaugurated, be scrapped.
Not surprisingly, the Delhi police – which had delayed registration of the FIR against the accused in clear violation of the law and only after the matter went to court – gave ample time to the accused to exert pressure on the complainants, in contrast with the alacrity shown in registering cases against the protestors. As on an earlier occasion, assurances were given to the protestors by the concerned (sic!) minister clearly, none of these have been fulfilled. Nor has any action been reportedly taken against those responsible for the implementation of the law.
The failure to uphold the promise made to the protesting wrestlers that Singh and his associates would not be allowed to contest by the sports minister/ministry gives the signal of impunity to those violating the law. The result was there for all to see when Sakshi Malik hung up her boots at the press conference in Delhi this week.
If there was ever any doubt that sexual harassment is a crime steeped and soaked in power, perhaps the WFI saga will dispel that.
Long after the timeline of this heroic and unprecedented struggle by the wrestlers against sexual harassment, is forgotten, the visuals will continue to tell the story: of the courage shown by those who chose to speak up; of the families, farmers and women activists who came out in support to express their anger in public; of the police alternatively choosing to look the other way, shunning its duty and taking measures to arrest the protestors post haste, at the beck and call of their superiors. This record shall include the inglorious record of the official apathy and indifference to the protesting wrestlers while showing overeagerness to shield those accused.
Much along the lines of the fate of the migrants during Corona captured in the visuals of the period, the footage of Olympians and international sports champions being dragged on the streets outside even as the new parliament building was being inaugurated on May 28 will go down in the annals of the numerous successes of the powers that be. These pictures – of the prime accused strutting about with full freedom in the newly inaugurated Parliament building even as the cries for justice of those who had brought fame and glory to the country could be heard outside – will challenge viewers to read the sub-text of the achievements on the governance front in India, led by the Vishwaguru in the times to come. Perhaps they will tell us more than the media analysts will, in times when those spinning the most successful yarns are bestowed with the responsibility of appointing fact-check bodies on whether online information related to the Union government is accurate.
There are many lessons to be learnt from these unfolding events. It is clear that women in India have a long wait ahead for rampant sexual harassment to be recognised as a crime to be tackled head-on. The chances for women to get a level playing field and enjoy equality look more dim as this year ends, than they did in January 2023, when the star sportspersons first spoke up. Clearly, the crime is sought to be buried under the brazen might of power and the struggle to bring it out in the open shall perhaps have to wait for the likes of a Verma Committee, which had argued that Army men should not be allowed to take cover under AFSPA. The Justice Verma Committee had opined that “Personnel guilty of sexual offences in conflict areas should be tried under ordinary criminal law.”
In sharp contrast with the spirit displayed at that time, the impunity with which those accused in the WFI case may get away speaks of the turn of events in this country. The rape and murder of a then-unknown young woman, given the name of Nirbhaya by the media, shocked the nation and led to the passage of the Criminal Law Amendments enacted in 2013, followed by POSH. In contrast with the response in 2013, the cries of internationally acclaimed sportspersons for justice were sought to be silenced with the force of might. Amidst much else that they do, those in government, entrusted as per law with the responsibility to ensure that those guilty of the crime of sexual harassment are punished, continue to preach to ordinary mortals about their duty towards the nation.
In solidarity with the struggling wrestlers, who for now stand defeated and demoralised, women in India should set aside a special day/ date to mark the need for continued struggle on this issue. Punishment of those guilty of sexual harassment is a critical need if women are to advance their struggle for equality, including in the sphere of work and employment. It also needs to be realised that measures such as reservations for women in parliament and in the legislatures will have meaning only if laws enacted to give strength to women are implemented.
For now, it is clear that the contours of Nari Shakti Vandan do not encompass upholding the dignity of India’s sportswomen. That requires both political will on the part of governments in power as also power in the hands of the people to hold governments and officials accountable. The saga of the wrestlers’ struggle against sexual harassment – spread over the year 2023 – underlines the fact that the struggle to ensure justice for women and punishment for those accused of crimes against women is integrally linked to the struggle for democracy.
More so in times when democratically elected governments and their representatives choose to stand with those seen to be violating the law. The years to come may tell us more about how women in India look beyond the rhetorical invocation of tradition and false narratives of history to make constitutional guarantees a part of their everyday struggle for equality.
(Indu Agnihotri is an independent researcher, formerly Professor and Director of the Centre for Women’s Development Studies, New Delhi. Courtesy: The Wire.)
