“Will stand by our daughters till justice is done,” Deepender Singh says wrestlers protest not of State or caste

New Delhi [India], May 2 (ANI): After Priyanka Gandhi, Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda on Tuesday met with wrestlers sitting on a protest at the national capital’s Jantar Mantar and said “will stand by our daughters till justice is done.”

“Till our daughters get justice, we will stand with them. We cannot remain silent when we see such crimes being committed against our daughters,” Hooda said after meeting with the protesting wrestlers.

The wrestlers led by Vinesh Phogat, Sakshee Malik and Bajrang Punia have been protesting at the Jantar Mantar demanding action against WFI Chief Brij Bhushan Singh over sexual misconduct allegations against him.

“We will fight and we will fight for justice,’ Deepender said.

The Delhi Police on Friday registered two FIRs against the WFI president over allegations of sexual harassment and exploitation of female wrestlers by him.

WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Monday alleged that wrestlers’ protest is “expanding like Shaheen Bagh” and the target of protest is not him but the BJP.

While speaking to ANI, WFI Chief had claimed that 90 per cent of the athletes of Haryana trust the country’s top wrestling body.

“Ninety per cent of the athletes and guardians of Haryana trust the Wrestling Federation of India. A few families and the girls who have levelled allegations belonged to the same ‘akhada’…The patron of that ‘akhada’ is Deepender Hooda,” Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh told ANI.

Reacting to the allegations, Hooda said a person of criminal nature will say anything “to divert attention from his crimes.”

“If he thinks by saying all this, we are not going to stand by our daughters, that is his delusion. This is not an issue of state or of any caste, it’s a criminal issue related to respect for our daughters. I would also like to say to Bharatiya Janata Party this is not a political issue,” he added.

Previously, the WFI chief held a press conference in which he asserted that if he resigns from his post it would mean that he has accepted the allegations which have been raised by the wrestlers.

During his press conference, the WFI Chief alleged that the wrestlers are coming up with new demands.

“If I resign that means I have accepted their allegations, my tenure is about to end. Till a new party is formed and the government has formed an Indian Olympic Association (IOA) committee. Under that committee elections will be held and then my tenure will end,” he said while speaking with the media.