‘Will participate in Asian Games only when issues are resolved': Wrestler Sakshi Malik says 'mentally exhausted'

Wrestler Sakshi Malik on Saturday said that she would participate in Asian Games only after all the current issues they are facing are resolved. Wrestlers and Olympians Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat along with others had been protesting since the beginning of this year in order to press for the removal and arrest of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over allegations of sexual harassment.  

“We will participate in Asian Games only when all these issues will be resolved. You can't understand how mentally exhausting this is and what we are going through every day, " she said, as quoted by news agency ANI.

Sakshi and other wrestlers were attending the maha panchayat in Sonepat. Earlier in the day, wrestler Bajrang Punia said that the agitating players will decide their next line of action only after discussing with Khap Panchayats.  

Before this, a 'khap mahapanchayat' spearheaded by Rakesh Tikait demanded the arrest of WFI chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan and gave the government time till June 9 to act on its demand.

On Saturday morning, a woman wrestler was taken to the residence of the WFI president Brij Bhushan Singh by the Delhi police “to recreate the scene and recall the places where she faced harassment”.

"At 1.30 pm women officers took the woman wrestler to Brij Bhushan's official residence in Delhi. They were there for half an hour. They asked her to recreate the scene and recall the places where she faced harassment," PTI reported.

Earlier this week, the wrestlers met Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur and said the government assured that the ongoing probe by Delhi Police against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh will be completed before June 15.

Speaking to reporters at his residence, Thakur said: "An Internal Complaint Committee of the wrestling federation will be constituted. It will be headed by a woman. We have demanded that all FIRs filed against wrestlers be withdrawn.

"They also requested that Brij Bhushan Singh, who has completed 3 terms (as WFI chief), and his associates be asked not to stand for the elections again. The wrestlers promised not to hold any fresh protests before June 15," said Thakur.

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