Wrestlers begin their protest against WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and accuse him of sexual harassment, among other things. The WFI chief refutes all allegations.

Sports Ministry forms an Oversight Committee to look into the allegations. The committee is given four weeks to complete the probe.

The WFI announces that elections for the new committee will be held on May 7, after the Oversight Committee’s report was submitted to the sports ministry. The government does not make the report public.

Wrestlers return to the protest site and claim seven women wrestlers, including a minor, filed a sexual harassment complaint against Brij Bhushan. They accuse Delhi Police of not registering an FIR. Two days later, the protesting wrestlers move Supreme Court seeking registration of FIR against Brij Bhushan. The apex court calls the allegations “serious” and issues notice to the Delhi Police.

Delhi Police files two FIRs against Brij Bhushan - one under POCSO Act and another that includes WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar. They are booked under IPC Sections 354-A (making sexually coloured remarks) and 354-D (stalking).

Delhi Police detains top wrestlers, including Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, while they attempt to march towards the new Parliament, which is being inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi. The wrestlers, along with prominent khap panchayats from several states, had planned a ‘Mahila Samman Mahapanchayat’ at the new Parliament House building. As police tried to detain them, the wrestlers resisted which saw ugly scenes where Vinesh, Sakshi and Sangeeta were dragged and lifted by multiple policewomen before being taken into custody.

The shocking scenes witnessed while detaining India's top wrestlers and the news that the Delhi Police had registered FIRs against them, leads to the International Olympic Committee and the United World Wrestling issuing statements. The IOC said the treatment meted out to the athletes over the weekend, when they were manhandled and detained for hours, was “very disturbing.”

The wrestlers, hurt by the way the police had detained them and then filed FIRs against them, announce they will go to Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar to 'immerse their medals' in the River Ganga. After nearly two hours near the banks of the river, the sobbing wrestlers are talked out of it.

After alleging that Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh had sexually harassed and stalked her, a 17-year-old minor victim withdraws charges against the BJP MP. The minor had initially given two statements, one before the police and another before a magistrate, where she had outlined her allegations. She recorded a fresh statement before a magistrate under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which means mean that it will be up to the Court to decide if the charges can be pursued and a trial will decide which statement under 164 will be given precedence.

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This is an archive article published on June 7, 2023

Wrestlers Protest Timeline: From Jantar Mantar sit-in to nearly immersing medals in Ganga, 10 significant moments

Here's a look at the most significant moments from the wrestlers protest.

Security personnel detain wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Sangeeta Phogat before their planned protest march towards the new Parliament building. (Express file photo by Amit Mehra)

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Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang Punia and Rio 2016 medallist Sakshi Malik led a delegation of protesting wrestlers to Sports Minister Anurag Thakur’s residence on Wednesday for a discussion on their demands. Following an almost six-hour long meeting the wrestlers stated that they would not stage any protest until June 15. Furthermore, they said that the government had assured them that the police investigation on Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh would be concluded by then and the pending WFI elections conducted by June 30.

The move came a day after Thakur had said that the central government was willing to have a ‘discussion’ with the protesting wrestlers.

Some of India’s biggest names in wrestling — including Bajrang, Sakshi and world championship medallist Vinesh Phogat — have taken to the streets of New Delhi since January protesting against the WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who they accuse of sexually harassing female grapplers among other things. Initially, the wrestlers had returned home after the Sports Ministry had formed an Oversight Committee to look into the allegations of the wrestlers.

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Read | International wrestling body UWW ‘condemns detention of wrestlers’; threatens suspension if elections not held

But the wrestlers returned to Jantar Mantar in April.

Here’s a look at the most significant moments from the wrestlers protest:

01
January 18
Wrestlers begin their protest against WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and accuse him of sexual harassment, among other things. The WFI chief refutes all allegations.
02
January 23
Sports Ministry forms an Oversight Committee to look into the allegations. The committee is given four weeks to complete the probe.
03
April 16
The WFI announces that elections for the new committee will be held on May 7, after the Oversight Committee’s report was submitted to the sports ministry. The government does not make the report public.
04
April 23
Wrestlers return to the protest site and claim seven women wrestlers, including a minor, filed a sexual harassment complaint against Brij Bhushan. They accuse Delhi Police of not registering an FIR. Two days later, the protesting wrestlers move Supreme Court seeking registration of FIR against Brij Bhushan. The apex court calls the allegations “serious” and issues notice to the Delhi Police.
05
April 28
Delhi Police files two FIRs against Brij Bhushan - one under POCSO Act and another that includes WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar. They are booked under IPC Sections 354-A (making sexually coloured remarks) and 354-D (stalking).
06
May 28
Delhi Police detains top wrestlers, including Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, while they attempt to march towards the new Parliament, which is being inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi. The wrestlers, along with prominent khap panchayats from several states, had planned a ‘Mahila Samman Mahapanchayat’ at the new Parliament House building. As police tried to detain them, the wrestlers resisted which saw ugly scenes where Vinesh, Sakshi and Sangeeta were dragged and lifted by multiple policewomen before being taken into custody.
07
May 30
The shocking scenes witnessed while detaining India's top wrestlers and the news that the Delhi Police had registered FIRs against them, leads to the International Olympic Committee and the United World Wrestling issuing statements. The IOC said the treatment meted out to the athletes over the weekend, when they were manhandled and detained for hours, was “very disturbing.”
08
May 30
The wrestlers, hurt by the way the police had detained them and then filed FIRs against them, announce they will go to Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar to 'immerse their medals' in the River Ganga. After nearly two hours near the banks of the river, the sobbing wrestlers are talked out of it.
09
June 6
After alleging that Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh had sexually harassed and stalked her, a 17-year-old minor victim withdraws charges against the BJP MP. The minor had initially given two statements, one before the police and another before a magistrate, where she had outlined her allegations. She recorded a fresh statement before a magistrate under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which means mean that it will be up to the Court to decide if the charges can be pursued and a trial will decide which statement under 164 will be given precedence.