Babita wanted to be WFI chief, exploited wrestlers' protest: Sakshi Malik

Wrestler Sakshi Malik claims not Congress but two BJP leaders helped wrestlers secure permission to protest against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in Haryana

Olympic wrestler Sakshi Malik has accused Babita Phogat, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), of being the driving force behind the wrestlers' protest against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Malik asserted that Phogat wanted to replace Singh as president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), according to a report by India Today.

Malik claimed that Phogat convened several wrestlers to advocate for a protest against the federation’s alleged misconduct, including claims of molestation.

“Babita Phogat approached us with the idea of protesting against Brij Bhushan Singh because she had her own agenda—she wanted to become the WFI president,” Malik stated.

Clarifying allegations of political support

Malik refuted claims that the Congress party backed their protest, asserting, “There are rumours that Congress supported our protest, but that’s false. In fact, two BJP leaders helped us secure permission to protest in Haryana—Babita Phogat and Tirath Rana.”

Having recently published her book Witness, Malik emerged as one of the three prominent figures in the extended protest against Brij Bhushan Singh. She noted that the protest began to fracture when “people close to” fellow wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat began to instil a sense of “greed” among them, according to a PTI report.

The trio has accused Brij Bhushan, the former head of the WFI, of sexually harassing female wrestlers during his tenure, with the case currently under consideration in a Delhi court.

Following the suspension of the WFI, an ad-hoc committee took over the administration of wrestling, exempting Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat from the 2023 Asian Games trials. However, Malik chose not to pursue this exemption, despite her colleagues’ suggestions.

'Never anticipated Babita's game'

In her interview, Malik clarified that while the protest was not entirely driven by Phogat, it was initiated at her suggestion. “It's not that we blindly followed her, but we were aware that there were serious issues like sexual harassment and molestation within the federation. We believed that having a woman in charge, especially someone like Babita Phogat, who is also a sportsperson, would bring positive change. We trusted that she would understand our struggles. But we never anticipated that she would play such a big game with us,” she added.

The protest came to an end after the wrestlers' march towards the new Parliament Building was blocked by police on May 28, 2023.

Both Vinesh and Bajrang recently joined the Congress party ahead of the Haryana assembly elections. Vinesh contested and won a seat from the Julana constituency, while Bajrang was appointed head of the party's national farmers' unit.

Before entering politics, Vinesh experienced a significant setback in her sporting career when she was disqualified from the 50-kg category Olympic finals in Paris for being 100 grams overweight.