Will the daughters get justice: Vinesh Phogat

New Delhi: Asian Games gold medallist and one of the prominent faces of the wrestlers’ protest against WFI chief, Vinesh Phogat on Thursday wondered if the country’s daughters would get justice in this “atmosphere of fear and intimation”.

Phogat’s tweet came days after the ‘minor’, whose complaint had formed basis of FIR against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh under the POCSO Act withdrew her sexual harassment allegations against the outgoing WFI president. “Will the daughters get justice in the atmosphere of fear and intimidation???” Vinesh wrote on her Twitter handle. In another tweet, she said, “May these daughters not lose courage one by one because of the delay in this fight for justice??? God give courage to all.” The minor wrestler’s father told PTI that they levelled sexual harassment charges against Singh because he wanted to settle score with the WFI chief, who he held responsible for his daughter’s defeat in trials for the Under 17 Asian Championships. Vinesh, along with Olympic medallist grapplers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Punia, had accused Brij Bhushan of carrying out sexual exploitation against female grapplers, including a minor.

On Wednesday, the aggrieved wrestlers agreed to suspend their protest for a week after the government asked them to wait till police completes its probe into the sexual harassment allegations against Brij Bhushan by June 15. The wrestlers, after a nearly five-hour meeting with Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, said the government also assured them that the police would withdraw the FIRs filed against them. The protesting wrestlers on Wednesday agreed to suspend their protest till June 15 after the government asked them to wait till police completes its probe into sexual harassment allegations against Singh by then.

The wrestlers were booked for violation of law and order on May 28 when they marched towards the new Parliament building without permission to hold ‘Mahila Samman Mahapachayat’.