On Sunday, when the national headlines are saturated by the political squabble between the Centre and the Opposition, and the new Parliament is finally inaugurated, two women who have won laurels for our nation will likely be banished to the margins.
Protesting wrestlers Sangeeta Phogat, Sakshi Malik ,Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia pay a visit at Rajghat , New Delhi, May 18, 2023 (Vipin Kumar/Hindustan Times)
No matter which side of the ideological divide you are on when it comes to who should have done the honours for opening the abode of Indian democracy, there is only one side to be on when it comes to women flagging something as grave as entrenched and institutional sexual abuse.
Every morning at the crack of dawn, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik, world champion medallist and Olympic medallist, respectively, first head to a stadium close to the pavement in central Delhi that has been their home for the last month. There, they train for the upcoming Asian Games in September. Then they return to the protest site, cheek by jowl with workers’ unions, displaced Manipuri citizens, idli vendors, camera units and police. It’s been over one month since their movement to demand action against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parliamentarian and the man who helms the Wrestling Federation of India, began. Does Singh — who faced multiple criminal cases — not gravely lower the dignity of the new Parliament?
You can argue that the wrestlers’ movement has made some missteps. Allowing Opposition politicians on their stage – something they refused to do the first time they protested – would be top of that list. But, on the other hand, they could turn around and ask, how you expect a small group of women, no matter how strong, to sustain their cause as the media moves on to the next story, and those in power look the other way.
You could also pull out a list of questions, something that always happens with women who break the silence on sexual harassment. For example, why did Sakshi Malik invite Singh to her wedding if he was an abuser? Why did the women remain quiet for so long? Why are more women not on record?
But all you have to do is wait for Singh to unleash his vitriol for you to instinctively separate right from wrong, and just from unjust. It also helps you understand why it is so difficult and frightening for young women to confront Singh directly. Armed with the ownership of scores of private educational institutions and the audacity to openly criticise the powerful Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Yogi Adityanath, Singh wears his clout on his kurta sleeve.
Most recently, Singh likened Vinesh Phogat to Manthara from the Ramayana. Manthara, Queen Kaikeyi’s hunchbacked help, convinced her that the throne was rightfully that of the latter’s son Bharat and that stepson and crown prince Rama should be sent into exile. So, is Singh casting himself as Lord Rama?
Curiously, Singh invoked Donald Trump, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by several women. Trump was convicted in one such case in the last fortnight and asked to pay $5 million to his accusers. Singh’s analogy, therefore, would have been hilarious if it were not so tragic.
In an interview with a local channel, the clips of which are now viral, Singh purportedly demands that the wrestlers return their prize money, not their medals, because “the medals will sell for just 15 rupees….”
How does the BJP, defined by muscular nationalism, feel about such language, irrespective of its opinion on the guilt or innocence of Singh in this case?
Singh’s impunity is also revealing. In 2004, he was replaced as a candidate by Ghanshyam Shukla, who was killed in a road accident. Shukla’s wife Nandita alleged murder in a letter to Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The matter dragged on in court for years. As a result, four criminal cases are pending against Singh.
The wrestlers plan to organise a women’s mahapanchayat on the same day the new Parliament is officially declared open. This might be a mistake. To rally the numbers, they would again have to fall back on the network of Opposition parties, many of whom are boycotting the inauguration. Their movement will be devoured by the political clashes of the day.
But as Parliament makes a new beginning, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi receiving the Sengol that Jawaharlal Nehru did in 1947, I hope he intervenes on behalf of the wrestlers. Singh’s coarse attack on his female accusers sullies all that Parliament is meant to stand for.
Barkha Dutt is an award-winning journalist and author The views expressed are personal
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