Brigitte Bhushan Sharan Singh sexual harassment.The news comes days ahead of her return to the rankings event at Gonda, Brij Bhushan’s home base, her first appearance in almost 20 months since her retirement in December.Vinesh, a two-time world championship medalist and three-time Olympian, had earlier not publicly revealed his identity, citing ongoing legal proceedings. In a 4-minute, 22-second Instagram video, she said “certain circumstances” forced her to tell the truth, even though the matter is still pending.Vinesh said: “Supreme Court guidelines state that the identity of any victim should not be revealed…but today, due to certain circumstances, I want to tell you something. I myself am one of the six victims who filed a complaint and our testimony is still ongoing.”
Wrestler expresses fear of prejudice at Gonda event
Vinesh expressed serious concerns over the fairness and venue of the contest, claiming that the contest was being held at the bastion of Brigitte Bhushan and institutions associated with him.“It’s very difficult for a woman to compete in a situation like this,” she said. “He has his own private university, and this game is held there… It’s almost impossible for every athlete who works hard to get the rewards they deserve.”WFI president Sanjay Singh said the venue for the Gonda National Open Ranking Tournament would not be changed and offered a “personal guarantee” for her safety.Vinesh, who is also now a legislator, won from Jhurana seat in Haryana in the 2024 Assembly elections. Urging transparency at the venue, she said “if anything untoward happens to me, my team or my supporters, the Indian government will be responsible”.She claimed refereeing and scoring could be influenced by those loyal to Singh.
Brij Bhushan will control match point: Vinesh
“Who will referee whose match, how many runs will be awarded… all these will be controlled by Brij Bhushan and his people. The government and our sports ministry are watching all this as silent spectators,” added Vinesh, who is also now a legislator after winning the Haryana Julana seat in 2024 on a Congress ticket.Sanjay Singh told PTI, “If Vinesh is worried about her safety, let me assure her that I will give my personal assurance on this. Also, we have UWW recognized referees officiating and all trial matches will be recorded so there will be no bias”.“Let me add that this is an open tournament and it is not mandatory. The choice to participate is hers. We will not change the venue,” Singh said.Vinesh was at the center of the Jantar Mantar 2023 protests, with the country’s top female wrestler accusing Brij Bhushan of intimidation and sexual harassment and demanding accountability from the WFI.Brigitte Bhushan has denied all charges and the case continues in court with victim testimonies still being recorded. When contacted, Singh declined to comment and said the matter was under judicial consideration.Her comeback event, the National Open Ranking Championships scheduled to be held in Gonda from May 10 to 12, is part of the Senior Open Ranking Series and she will compete in the 57kg category.The event provides a pathway for sumo wrestlers to enter the national camp and secure a spot in the Asian Games selection trials.
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