More than 250 feminists, women’s rights activists and members of women’s organisations across India have condemned the acquittal of former BJP MP and ex-Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in the sexual harassment case filed by women wrestlers, expressing solidarity with the survivors and vowing to continue the fight for justice.
In a joint statement issued on Monday, the signatories described the wrestlers’ legal battle as a fight against “seemingly impossible odds” and said the acquittal would not end the movement for accountability or the demand for safer sporting spaces.
The statement came after Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Ashwini Panwar of Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court acquitted Singh and co-accused Vinod Tomar, former WFI assistant secretary, in the case filed by six women wrestlers. The detailed judgment is yet to be made public.
The signatories said they stood “in solidarity with our courageous wrestlers who never said die,” praising them for challenging what they described as “the highly politicised power structures of sports associations in India, where money and muscle power rule the arena.”
Among those endorsing the statement were senior advocate Indira Jaising, historian Uma Chakravarti, social activist Aruna Roy, Shabnam Hashmi, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) president Kavita Srivastava, Kalyani Menon Sen, Urvashi Butalia, Sujata Gothoskar, Teesta Setalvad, Mallika Sarabhai, Jagmati Sangwan, Annie Raja, Nisha Sidhu, Maimoona Mollah, Lalita Ramdas, Syeeda Hameed, Meena Seshu, Anjali Bharadwaj, Lara Jesani, Govind Kelkar, Shilpa Phadke, and journalists Rituparna Chatterjee and Laxmi Murthy, among others.
‘Fight Against Impossible Odds’
The statement recalled that the FIRs against Singh were registered in April 2023 only after the intervention of the Supreme Court, following sustained protests by the wrestlers at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
It noted that before approaching the court, the wrestlers had repeatedly raised their complaints with the Union Sports Ministry, the Indian Olympic Association and other authorities, but alleged that these efforts resulted in attempts to silence the complainants rather than address their grievances.
The organisations also revisited the months-long protest at Jantar Mantar, stating that the demonstrations drew support from athletes, farmers, students, women’s groups and civil society organisations before being met with a police crackdown during the wrestlers’ march towards the new Parliament building on 28 May 2023.
According to the statement, after the Delhi Police filed the chargesheet in June 2023, the wrestlers shifted their focus to pursuing the legal case.
Trial and Witnesses
The signatories said the trial, which continued for more than two years after charges were framed in May 2024, was marked by significant pressure on the complainants.
Referring to media reports, the statement noted that the minor complainant in the separate POCSO case later changed her statement after her family allegedly came under pressure.
It further stated that during the trial, two of the five complainants in the adult case changed their testimonies, while three women maintained their allegations and underwent cross-examination.
The statement also praised the legal team led by senior advocate Rebecca John, saying it “left no stone unturned” in presenting the testimonies of the complainants and advancing their case before the court.
“The judgment has acquitted the accused but the fight will continue for justice,” the statement said, adding that the organisations would support the wrestlers in challenging the verdict before a higher court.
Demand for POSH Implementation
The women’s organisations argued that the wrestlers’ movement had already led to greater awareness about the implementation of the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) Act and the Vishakha Guidelines within Indian sport.
They demanded the full implementation of POSH mechanisms across sports institutions, protection for athletes who report sexual harassment, and sporting spaces free from political interference, intimidation, and the misuse of money and power.
“As women’s organisations and members of the women’s movement in India, we will continue to support the wrestlers in the struggle for creating a sexual harassment-free wrestling arena and its extension to other sports,” the statement said.
