‘Women Wrestlers scared as Brij Bhushan will remain connected to WFI’: Anita Sheoran | Sport-others News

Former Commonwealth Games gold medal Anita Sheoran, who contested for the post of WFI president and lost to Sanjay Singh talks to The Indian Express on what the election results mean for women wrestlers, why their voices have been crushed.
You stood for WFI elections. Post the result how difficult do you feel it is for an athlete to break into a federation like the WFI?
Some of India’s biggest wrestlers had raised issues against the former WFI president related to sexual harassment and safety of women but even for them it seems to be a losing battle. I don’t think any regular sportsperson who wants to bring real change can even dream of being part of a federation now. Despite the issue being a serious one about women safety, the WFI today does not have even one woman member. I was at the elections yesterday (Thursday) and after seeing the environment created and behaviour of people from Brij Bhushan’s camp I don’t think they will ever allow any wrestler with independent views to be part of the federation. They want to keep wrestlers as far as possible from the federation.
Sakshi retired yesterday after the elections, Bajrang placed his Padma award in front of the Prime Miner’s house in protest. As a wrestler who wanted to become WFI president and bring in reforms, how did you feel when you saw this?
Everytime I watch Sakshi’s video, my eyes fill with tears. To see an Olympic medal retire like this was heart-breaking. Bajrang was preparing for the Olympics, but he fought a battle to ensure that women wrestlers remained safe. Same with Vinesh (Phogat). They raised the voice of women. But what did they get today? Their only demand was reforms in the WFI and that a woman become the president in place of Brij Bhushan. Despite putting so much on the line, women wrestlers in the country got nothing.
People close to Brij Bhushan have returned to power in the WFI. Did you have hopes of winning despite contesting against old hands of the WFI?
The whole country has seen who was being garlanded yesterday after the elections. It is now clear who the dummy is and who will actually run the federation. There is no clean up in the WFI. Who will bring about change? I don’t think women wrestlers will be safe in wrestling. Women, including juniors, have been fearful for so many years… they could not even raise their voices. And now the voices of women wrestlers have been crushed again. If something bad happens to a woman wrestler today, they won’t have the courage to speak up. The country’s top women wrestlers were brave and spoke up about sexual harassment Brij Bhushan, but today they have been defeated. If wrestlers like Vinesh and Sakshi can’t make a difference today, which woman will have the guts to complain ever again.

There has been talk that the protesting wrestlers are part of a political game. What do you have to say?
The federation is supposed to be for wrestlers. But in the same federation, wrestlers have no voice. Despite complaints of sexual harassment of women, nothing has changed in the federation. What do wrestlers do? Are wrestlers not supposed to meet politicians? The wrestlers know that the decisions related to WFI are being controlled politicians who are in power. Politicians like Brij Bhushan are supreme today and wrestlers, despite earning medals for the country, are powerless. So what is wrong in being part of the political system to bring about positive change for women.
One of the first decisions post the WFI elections was to hold the junior nationals in Gonda, Brij Bhushan’s backyard…
Gonda and Nandini Nagar is not the right place to conduct nationals as it is Brij Bhushan’s area. We should hold nationals in a place, which is conducive for promotion of the sport. Why not conduct the nationals in Odisha where national championships have not been held? At least the sport will spread to new places. I have been to Gonda, and when a wrestling event is held it is more like a political rally.

You have been a wrestler for two decades. How was the environment for women wrestlers?
I have met and spoken to so many women wrestlers who have told me things which should not have happened to them. Now the whole country has seen where the accused person is today and where women wrestlers are. Women wrestlers are on the streets today. The former WFI president was someone who girls were even scared to talk to and he had a bad reputation. Girls were worried that their careers would be finished if they spoke up.
If you had won the elections, do you feel that more women would have felt empowered and would have spoken up?
If I had become president and there was a clean up in the WFI, I am sure many more girls would have spoken up about the sexual harassment they had faced. Wrestling is my second family, and I know what women wrestlers have had to face. Now, women wrestlers are scared because they know that Brij Bhushan will always be connected to the federation through his people who have won elections. Everyone will have to salute him and tanashahi chalti rahegi.