On Sunday, a group called the khap ‘mahapanchayat’ decided that women supporting the protest against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh will hold a panchayat before the new Parliament building on May 28. This is the same day that the newly-built building will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The mahapanchayat met in Rohtak and decided to move to the Parliament after hours of deliberation. Sakshi Malik and her husband Satyawart Kadiyan attended the mahapanchayat, while Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat stayed at the protest site at Jantar Mantar.
The mahapanchayat made four decisions: the women’s panchayat will be held right before the Parliament building on May 28, on May 23 (Tuesday) there will be a candle-light march from Jantar Mantar to India Gate, khaps will reach the protest site within five hours of a wrestler’s call, and they reiterated their demand for the arrest of Brij Bhushan. Punia confirmed the decisions and welcomed the move. The wrestlers have accused Brij Bhushan of sexual exploitation of several women grapplers and are continuing their fight against him.
The IOA’s ad-hoc panel which is tasked with running the affairs of the Wrestling Federation of India is likely to organise the Asian Games trials around June 20. The protesting wrestlers are hardly getting any time to practice, making it extremely difficult for them to counter their competitors in their respective categories if they decide to appear in the trials. Punia, who won a bronze at the Tokyo Games, said he is willing to sacrifice even an Olympic medal in this fight.
