Politics

Sakshi Malik Alleges Sexual Harassment by Brij Bhushan in Shocking 2012 Revelation

Olympic bronze winner Sakshi Malik’s recently published autobiography, Witness, contains shocking accusations against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Singh is accused by Malik of trying to harass her sexually at the 2012 Asian Junior Championship in Almaty, Kazakhstan. In her book, Malik describes a disturbing experience in which Singh called her to his hotel room while pretending to be talking about her parents.

Singh allegedly attempted to molest her after putting her in touch with her family. Singh put me in touch with my parents. It appeared to be innocuous. I recall hoping that maybe nothing bad would happen after all when I told them about my match and my medal. However, he attempted to harass me when I was sitting on his bed immediately after I hung off the phone. According to The Times of India, she wrote, “I pushed him off and started to cry.” Malik reveals that she kept quiet for so long because she was afraid Singh would endanger her career because of his strength and influence in the sport.

Childhood Trauma

Malik discloses a frightening experience in which a tutor touched him inappropriately when he was a child. Fear and embarrassment prevented her from confiding in her relatives. “For a long time, I was unable to disclose to my family that I had also been assaulted as a child because I believed it was my responsibility. Previously, I was harassed by my tuition teacher. He would occasionally try to touch me and would call me over to his apartment for lectures at strange hours. She added, “I was afraid to go to my tuition classes, but I could never tell my mom,” and subsequently told her mother about the assault.

Protest Against Brij Bhushan

Along with fellow wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat, Malik has been outspoken in their opposition to Singh’s alleged sexual misbehavior. The three have charged Singh of harassing several female wrestlers while he was the WFI’s leader. A court in Delhi is now hearing the matter. When police stopped their march on May 28, 2023, towards the new Parliament Building, the protest came to a head. Following the WFI’s suspension, wrestling was administered by an ad hoc committee, which excluded Bajrang and Vinesh from the trials for the 2023 Asian Games. Sakshi declined to request the same exemptions, nevertheless, as her colleagues recommended.

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In the end, Vinesh was injured, Bajrang failed to win a gold in Hangzhou, and Sakshi did not participate in the Games. Malik was disappointed that the integrity of the protest was compromised by her colleagues’ acceptance of exemptions from the trials, which made it appear “selfish.” Sakshi Malik’s brave disclosures are igniting crucial discussions around abuse and responsibility in sports as the situation develops.