Top Indian wrestler accuses government of silence over sexual harassment probe
- Two-time Olympian Vinesh Phogat says she has been hurt by PM Narendra Modi’s silence on the issue
- Sports Minister Anurag Thakur was also ‘not interested’ in listening to her concerns when she spoke to him, Phogat adds
Phogat is one of seven female athletes to have lodged a police case against Singh accusing him of sexually harassing them.
Singh, who is also a federal lawmaker from Modi’s ruling party, has denied allegations of making sexual advances, groping and threatening female athletes if they refused to meet him alone.
“I have only felt a deep sense of humiliation since I mustered the courage to protest,” Phogat told Reuters in her first interview since she and fellow wrestlers were forced out of a protest site by the police last month.
Delhi Police have filed two cases against Singh, including one under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
Phogat, 28, who is the first Indian female wrestler to win both the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games gold, claims that during training camps and tournaments Singh would use “every possible way to single out young athletes and grope them repeatedly”.
