Members of All India Democratic Youth Organisation (AIDYO) took out a protest rally in Belagavi on Thursday, in support of women wrestlers in New Delhi.
In a memorandum submitted to President Droupadi Murmu, they sought her intervention in the issue.
“Women wrestlers who have brought laurels to the country were sitting in protest in New Delhi against sexual harassment allegedly by Brij Bhushan Singh who is the president of the Wrestling Federation and BJP MP. Just because he is powerful, the government is not ordering any inquiry against him. Instead, the police are being used to harass and ill treat the protestors,” they said.
“People are shocked to hear the ordeals of sexual harassment faced by the wrestlers for years at the hands of the federation officials, including the federation president. The culprits have not been arrested even though an FIR has been filed on the instruction of the Supreme Court. Till now neither the Union government nor the police has done anything to treat the proud daughters of the nation with honour and provide justice to them. Instead, they are being ill-treated, manhandled, arrested and evacuated from the protest site where they were staging their protest peacefully. Many supporters, including activists of our organisation, of their demand who expressed solidarity with them have also been arrested,” they said.
“We believe that the President is fully aware of the on-going protest as well as the treatment they received in the hands of the government. We request the President to immediately intervene, order the Union government to take action on the FIR filed by them, ensure justice to the women wrestlers who are our nation’s pride and restore the respect and honour of our nation in the international arena,” they said in the memorandum.
Convenor Raju Ganagi and others were present.
