Bajrang Punia, the current Olympic bronze medalist wrestler, has penned an emotional letter to his player friends and asked them to stand beside the victims of sexual harassment case earlier today. Top women’s wrestlers, including Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik, have alleged that Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) sexually exploited them in the past.
On April 23, yesterday, Punia resumed the sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar alongside Phogat, Malik, and others, demanding the public disclosure of the findings made by the oversight committee concerning the allegations.
The 29-year old took to Twitter this afternoon and addressed his fellow player friends, “एक पत्र मेरे सभी खिलाड़ी साथियों के नाम| आप सभी साथियों से उम्मीद है कि आप मेरे इस पत्र को पढ़ेंगे और पीड़िताओं के साथ खड़े होंगे। (A letter to all my player friends. Hope all of you friends will read this letter of mine and stand with the victims.)”
Bajrang Punia also shared a pic in his tweet in which he pointed out the sexual harassment done to the women’s wrestlers, one of them being under the age of 16. He wrote, “My letter to all the players. To all my international/national player friends. We all have represented our national flags in different sports at the international level and won many medals with our fellow countrymen in support. Today, wrestling players need your support."
"Today our women players are not able to register an FIR against people who have sexually assaulted them, even when one of the women’s players is under the age of 16. Today this is happening in our sport, but we want to ensure that this doesn’t happen to any player or women of our nation, for that reason, we are agitated.”
“We are hopeful that all of you players will come ahead to help these women’s players attain justice. Those who can reach Jantar Mantar, please do. Those who are practicing in their camps, you can at least write and speak for justice and stand with the victims. Your little brother friend, Bajrang.”