Physio speaks up: At camp in 2014, wrestlers cried, told me about sexual harassment by Brij Bhushan

Physio Paramjeet Malik at the national camp in 2014 with wrestlers (from left) Sakshi Malik, Babita Phogat, Vinesh Phogat and Geeta Phogat (right)

Despite several attempts, both Brij Bhushan and Kuldeep Malik remained unavailable for comment. In the past, Brij Bhushan has consistently denied the allegations and said they are part of a plot against him.

Paramjeet said that in February, he had appeared twice before the oversight committee set up by the sports ministry to probe the allegations against Brij Bhushan — in-person first, and then in a video call. He said he had narrated the 2014 incident to the committee too.

While the sports ministry shared the committee’s “major findings” on Monday, it remained silent on the specific charges against Brij Bhushan and only mentioned the structural lapses within the wrestling body.

Recalling the 2014 camp, Paramjeet claimed that he first saw “three to four” cadet wrestlers being asked to travel out of the camp at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Lucknow. “These girls were leaving well past 10 pm. I saw that the people who came to pick them up in vehicles were those who were associated with Brij Bhushan, including his driver. The girls later confirmed what was happening to them,” he alleged.

Physio Paramjeet Malik at Jantar Mantar, where India’s top wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik are protesting demanding the arrest of WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

“The girls told us that they faced pressure, and were asked to meet Brij Bhushan at night. There were at least three girls who spoke about it to the senior wrestlers back then. I was witness to these cadet wrestlers crying while narrating what they went through,” alleged Paramjeet.

“I was the personal physio of Geeta Phogat (World Championship medalist) in 2014. The cadet wrestlers broke down and narrated to me and senior wrestlers, including my wife Suman Kundu, about the alleged sexual harassment by Brij Bhushan during the national camp in Lucknow in 2014,” he alleged.

He claimed that he was asked to leave the camp after he complained. “People ask today why the girls are speaking up only now. They were scared because of threats that their names would be removed from the national camp list, and they feared that the selection trials would not be fair,” he said.

“I told the oversight committee about what had happened at the national camp in Lucknow in 2014. Even as I was narrating the incident, one of the committee members, Yogeshwar Dutt, repeatedly interrupted me and asked for proof. However, I was allowed to narrate the details, after boxer Mary Kom (in-charge of the oversight committee) stepped in,” said Paramjeet.

Confirming Paramjeet’s allegations, one of the protesting wrestlers who was also at the 2014 camp said these charges need to be probed too.

Last week, seven female wrestlers, including a minor, filed separate police complaints against Brij Bhushan, accusing him of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation. In their police complaints, filed on April 21, the wrestlers are learnt to have cited multiple instances of sexual harassment, dating back to 2012 and as recent as 2022. They have alleged that on at least four occasions, the harassment took place at Brij Bhushan’s MP bungalow at Ashoka Road, New Delhi, which also doubles up as the WFI office. Incidents of harassment also took place during an international tournament outside India as well as domestic competitions, they have alleged.

Seeking action against Brij Bhushan, including registration of an FIR, top wrestlers, including Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik along with World Championship medallist Vinesh Phogat, have been staging a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar since Sunday.

Stating that the Delhi Police was not registering an FIR, the protesting wrestlers moved the Supreme Court, which issued a notice to Delhi Police on Tuesday. The Delhi Police told the top court on Wednesday that the matter may require a preliminary inquiry before they file a FIR.

While the wrestlers had first staged a sit-in at Jantar Mantar in January, the protest was called off after the government set up an oversight committee to probe the charges.