Wrestlers' Protest: Sports Authority of India senior official meets Bajrang Punia and others

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Sports Authority of India's senior official met with Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, and Sakshi Malik among others at the wrestlers' protest site in New Delhi on Monday evening. This also became the first instance of a senior government official meeting the wrestlers since they resumed their protest after three months.

As per sources present at the site, SAI deputy DG Shiv Sharma had an intense discussion with the wrestlers at the site, which lasted more than half an hour. It is understood that both parties couldn't come to any understanding during the meeting.

The wrestling trio, who already addressed that they don't have faith in the government anymore, remained adamant on their demands, including an FIR against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for sexual harassment.

They conveyed to the SAI official that Sports Ministry's decision to stall WFI elections and to form an ad-hoc committee through Indian Olympic Association means little to them and an FIR against Brij Bhushan remains their primary demand. At the end of the meeting, the SAI DG Sharma promised that he will convey their message to the government.

This is the first instance since the second protest that somebody from the government spoke to the wrestlers at the site. Bajrang and Co. earlier on Sunday claimed that since they ended their first protest three months ago, there has been little communication from the sports ministry and their officials.

They also claimed that the authorities stopped taking their calls while the Anurag Thakur-formed Oversight Committee, chaired by boxer Mary Kom, never summoned them during the inquiry on WFI and its former chief.

It was earlier reported that an unnamed SAI official tried to mediate over a call and urged a meeting at the office. However, wrestlers made it clear that any meeting will take place at the protest site as they only want to take a legal course of action this time.

Earlier on Sunday, wrestlers claimed that seven women wrestlers, including a minor, approached Delhi police to file sexual harassment complaints against Brij Bhushan but the cops turned them down. This turned out to be the final nail in the coffin for the wrestlers as they restarted their protest.

Delhi Commission for Women soon published a notice to Delhi Police for failing to file an FIR against Brij Bhushan, who is also an incumbent BJP MLA from Kaiserganj in UP. Following the notice, Delhi police gave their statement in the media that an inquiry is being done on the matter. However, no FIR has been filed yet.