Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik alleged on Thursday that Delhi Police have removed the security cover for three female wrestlers involved in the sexual harassment case against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The wrestlers, who led a major protest against Singh, claim that their security was withdrawn without notice.
Phogat, Malik, and fellow wrestler Bajrang Punia had previously organized a protest in Delhi against Singh, who is accused by several women, including minors, of sexual misconduct. Singh, a member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has consistently denied the allegations.
Both Phogat and Malik took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to express their concerns, tagging the Delhi Police, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), and National Commission for Women (NCW). They claimed that the security for those testifying against Singh had been removed.
The complainants, one of whom is scheduled to appear in Rouse Avenue Court on Friday, also issued a statement through their legal team alleging the security cover was taken away.
In response, the Delhi Police clarified that the security for the complainants had not been withdrawn. They attributed the issue to a “misunderstanding” and explained that the Personal Security Officers (PSOs) assigned to the wrestlers had reported late for duty.
The case against Singh gained further attention in May when the court ordered charges to be framed, citing “sufficient material” for the sexual harassment charges.
Phogat recently faced disappointment at the Paris Olympics, where she was disqualified from her gold medal bout due to weight issues. Her appeal to the Court for Arbitration of Sport (CAS) was unsuccessful. Malik, who won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, retired last December in protest against the election of Sanjay Singh, a close ally of Brij Bhushan, as the new WFI president.
