While the Supreme Court, which will hear the case on April 28, issued a notice to the Delhi Police on Tuesday, the sports ministry hasn’t covered itself in glory in its handling of the situation.
The ministry claims the seriousness of the allegations means it requires more time to “examine” the probe committee’s report before initiating action. But there is a history of public authorities dragging their feet on complaints of sexual harassment.
By: Editorial
Updated: April 26, 2023 06:56 IST
If this was a real bout, the government would have been penalised for — to use a wrestling expression — passivity. On January 23, as the wrestlers’ protest against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was gathering momentum, the sports ministry tried to diffuse the situation by sidelining the BJP MP and appointing a committee to probe all allegations, including sexual harassment. The panel, headed by boxer M C Mary Kom, was given four weeks to submit its findings. Exactly three months later, on April 23, the wrestlers hit the streets again, demanding to know the status of the report and seeking the arrest of Brij Bhushan. To find a resolution, the sports ministry has ordered the Indian Olympic Association to form another committee. But this time, the wrestlers aren’t buying it. They remain steadfast in their demand for an FIR against Brij Bhushan and his arrest under the POCSO Act, stating that one complainant is a minor. But the Delhi Police, which is otherwise over-eager to lodge FIRs, has been conspicuously silent in this case despite seven women coming forward and giving details of the incidents of sexual harassment in their written complaints.
While the Supreme Court, which will hear the case on April 28, issued a notice to the Delhi Police on Tuesday, the sports ministry hasn’t covered itself in glory in its handling of the situation. The ministry claims the seriousness of the allegations means it requires more time to “examine” the probe committee’s report before initiating action. The argument would hold water if this was a one-off case. But there is a history of public authorities dragging their feet on complaints of sexual harassment, as an investigation into the cases of sexual harassment at government-run institutes by this newspaper had revealed. At the same time, when it chooses, the sports ministry has ensured swift action. This was evident in the case involving a cycling coach, whose contract was immediately terminated after an athlete complained of sexual harassment and an FIR was filed within days.
The law, of course, will take its own course but the government must ensure transparency by releasing the full contents of its committee’s report and take action against the officials responsible. As Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang Punia, while seeking Prime Minister Modi’s intervention, underlined on Monday, “When players win medals, you stand with them. When they are on the road, then you are silent.” The government must speak up.
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