New Delhi: Top Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat on Friday said the wrestling world will remember Yogeshwar Dutt for being a spineless lackey of outgoing WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, hours after the London Olympic medallist questioned the exemption granted to her and five others from the Asian Games and World Championships trials.
Phogat also alleged that Yogeshwar had laughed off the sexual harassment complaints against the WFI chief during the oversight panel hearings where he told one of the women wrestlers that “such things happen”.
Dutt was one of the six members of the oversight panel formed by the government to probe the sexual harassment allegations against Singh. The government had not made public all the findings of the probe.
Dutt, a London Olympic medallist, posted a twitter video on Friday, questioning the logic and criteria behind such an exemption. Two hours after Dutt’s tweet, Vinesh came out with a long statement.
It was first reported by PTI on Thursday that six protesting wrestlers, including Bajrang Punia and his wife Sangeeta Phogat, will have to win just one bout against the winner of stage-one trials to be on the Indian team for the Asian Games and World Championships.
“The whole wrestling world understood that Yogeshwar was eating leftover from Brij Bhushan’s plate. If anyone raises voice against injustice in the society, then Yogeshwar definitely vomits,” Vinesh wrote on her official twitter page.
The fiery Vinesh, double Asian Games and triple CWG gold medallist didn’t stop short of calling Yogeshwar, a Brij Bhushan lackey and someone who has betrayed his own fraternity.
“Wrestling world will always remember you for licking the feet of Brij Bhushan,” she wrote.
Vinesh alleged that Yogeshwar tried to mentally disintegrate the complainants during the hearings. She also alleged that Yogeshwar asked female wrestlers to agree for a compromise and drop charges against Singh.
“He told another female wrestler in a very lewd manner that all this (sexual harassment) happens, don’t create a big issue out of it. Let me know if you need anything. After the committee meeting, Yogeshwar leaked the names of women complainants to Brij Bhushan and the media. He also called the family members of many women wrestlers and told them to keep their daughters under control. He was already publicly giving statements against women wrestlers, yet he was kept in both the committees. He constantly prevented wrestlers and coaches from joining the protest. The whole wrestling world understood that Yogeshwar was eating out of Brij Bhushan’s plate,” she wrote.
She accused Yogeshwar of making unsavoury remarks about the ‘jawans’ in Indian Army, students, and people from minority community.
“Earlier he made cheap comments about farmers, jawans, students, Muslims, Sikhs and now he is engaged in defaming women wrestlers.” Vinesh said Yogeshwar hasn’t been able to win any election because he is a traitor and a “poisonous snake”.
PTI

Press Trust of India