View: Still wrestling with our demons
Sakshi Malik, hung up her boots last week in disgust. This unfortunate development doesn't augur well for Indian women when the feted among them are denied justice and even made to grovel for it.
Malik and several top Indian wrestlers, including Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, began their protests in January over the lack of action against the then-head of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, whom they accused of sexual harassment of female wrestlers. For several months, nothing happened.
On several occasions, Singh even mocked them.
The wrestlers protested in Delhi for 40 days, braving indifference until it got impossible to ignore. To break their protest, the women were assured that action would be taken against Singh. He was asked to step aside from his administrative role at WFI.
Under pressure from the Supreme Court, Singh was investigated and charge-sheeted by the Delhi Police, only to be released on bail.
But things came to a pass after Singh's close aide was elected to the role of WFI chief last week amid the wrestlers' demands for a female chief. Singh celebrated his aide's win publicly. But, on December 24, the sports ministry suspended WFI till further orders for disregarding rules on organising U-15 and U-20 national championships.
While the ministry's decision is welcome, it is a case of too little, too late.
