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Journalism of Courage
Former India all-rounder and All India Trinamool Congress leader Kirti Azad has blamed the Narendra Modi-led BJP government for not taking any action against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
“I have been raising my voice from the very first day. The team ultimately decided once they saw that the players were so mercilessly dragged on the 28th of May when they were doing the peaceful demonstration,” Azad told The Indian Express.
“These women wrestlers got so frustrated that they wanted to drop their medals in the Ganga. This was when we felt it because those medals are not only theirs but are the pride of the nation, just like these wrestlers, who are our pride.
“They deserve justice immediately because justice delayed is justice denied. It’s been over six months that no action has been taken,” he added.
Indian cricket legends Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and the 1983 World Cup winning team, except Roger Binny, has, on Friday, come out in support of the top Indian wrestlers that have been protesting against WFI president Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, who has been alleged of sexual exploitation and harassment.
Azad questioned the tone-deaf silence of PM Narendra Modi and Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar, having ‘never hesitated in taking selfies’ with Sakshi Malik following her bronze medal win at the Rio Olympics.
“We didn’t win the World Cup for Indira Gandhi, who was the Prime Minister in 1983. I find it very strange when people say that it (protest) is political. When Sakshi Malik, the first women grappler, won bronze in Rio 2016, she wasn’t doing it for Narendra Modi and BJP. She did it for the nation,” the former India all rounder said.
“Mr. Modi never hesitated to take selfies with the medal and the medallist. Mr Khattar made Sakshi the brand ambassador of beti bachao and beti padhao in Haryana. And now they are silent, not even a tweet about the entire issue. They were happily taking photographs, and today to save their own, they are silent.”
Azad, who played 142 first-class games that include seven Test matches, has questioned the government for not arresting Brij Bhushan Singh, against whom at least 15 incidents of sexual harassment have been filed in an official complaint.
“The wrestlers followed the law. They came to the government in January. Rightfully, a committee was formed under Mary Kom, another nation’s pride. They were given the time of 30 days and nothing came out. So they went to the police to file the FIR and it was not filed. They knocked on the door of the Supreme Court, and thereafter, the FIR was filed.
“One of the allegations is very deadly, that is POSCO. This act was passed after the dastardly act took place against Nirbhaya. And it says immediate arrest. The question mark comes there, why is there no arrest? Why is he roaming free?”
