Questioning the presence of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at the wrestlers’ protest site at Jantar Mantar on Saturday, BJP’s Babita Phogat said the person who accompanied Priyanka Gandhi was his personal secretary Sandeep Singh who is accused of ‘molesting women and insulting a Dalit’. “Priyanka Gandhi has reached Jantar Mantar to get justice for women wrestlers with her personal secretary Sandeep Singh to get justice for the women wrestlers, but this person himself is an accused,” Babita who earlier condemned the entry of politicians at the protest stage said.
Sandeep Singh was booked by the UP police based on a complaint from Archana Gautam, Bigg Boss 16 finalist, who said Sandeep insulted her and used casteist words when Archana wanted to meet Priyanka Gandhi. Sandeep was booked under sections 504, 506 of the Indian Penal Code and under sections 3(1)(d) and 3(1) of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
‘Don’t weaken our protest…You too a woman’: Vinesh Phogat
As Babita Phogat’s tweets on Saturday against politicians entering the arena hurt the protest of the wrestlers, Vinesh Phogat took to Twitter and made an earnest request to Babita. “If you can’t take a stand for the rights of the wronged wrestlers, then at least don’t weaken our struggle. It has taken years for the female wrestlers to speak out against their abusers. You are also a woman. Please try to understand our pain,” Vinesh wrote.
Babita Phogat and wrestlers’ protest
This is the second time that the wrestlers took to the street against the Wrestling Federation of India and its chief Brij Bhushan Singh since the beginning of this year. During January’s protest, Babita acted as a mediator between the wrestlers and the government and was included in the government’s probe panel to investigate the allegations.
Recently however, Babita claimed she could not read the findings of the committee as the report was snatched from her by committee member Radica Sreeman.
The protesting wrestlers have lost trust in Babita as they think Babita is more vested with her political career though Babita reiterated that she is with the wrestlers. A protester accused Babita of backstabbing the protest. “She first forced us to sit on dharna, asked us that no political leader should come on the dais. We listened to her every command and asked all the political leaders to not come meet us, but then she (Babita) politicised everything for her personal benefits and backstabbed us and left us here alone,” a wrestler said.