Haryana polls: Young women wrestlers pin hope on Vinesh Phogat for safety, return to akhada

Jind/Sonipat: Several women wrestlers in Haryana, especially those rethinking their career paths in the wake of protests against sexual harassment in the WFI, are hoping Vinesh Phogat becomes the state’s sports minister and helps them return to the akhada.

Wrestling arenas or akhada were once abuzz with activity as young girls and boys trained with a common goal -- medals at big events followed by government jobs.

However, things changed after the January 2023 protests by top wrestlers, including Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia, demanding the resignation of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and then BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for allegedly harassing junior women wrestlers.

The akhada have since witnessed a spurt in dropouts among young women grapplers.

“I did not come here for five months after the protests began as my parents did not allow me to continue training,” said a young woman wrestler training at the Yudhvir Akhada in Sonipat, the biggest arena in the district for girls.

“I have somehow convinced them to resume training but now my father accompanies me and waits as long as I am here,” the wrestler said, requesting anonymity. “We hope that when Vinesh Phogat gets elected, she is made the sports minister because she understands the challenges that women wrestlers face,” she told news agency.

Phogat is contesting the Assembly elections in Haryana from Julana in Jind district.

At the Meher Singh Akhada in Rohtak, there has been a significant drop in the number of young grapplers coming for training. Mohit Malik, the owner of the akhada, said Phogat’s performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where she missed out on a gold medal, would motivate parents sceptical about sending their daughters to the akhada.

“Vinesh’s Olympic performance is expected to change things and give strength to those families who have been uncertain about sending their daughters to the akhada,” he said.

“There is unemployment in the state and one way to secure a government job is through sports, that is what the common people believe. The funding for the akhada also comes from local residents or individuals and there is very limited government support,” he added.

While Phogat is not the candidate from his constituency, Malik said she had his support, along with that of several wrestlers and coaches at the akhada across the state.

“We need someone from amongst us to be able to be our voice in the Vidhan Sabha. Vinesh knows the challenges a wrestler has to face” he said.

The Olympian, however, has asserted that she didn’t want Julana to be known only because of her. “People are saying that Julana is now famous because I am contesting. I want Julana to be known for employment, for wrestling, and not for Vinesh,” she said during

a public meeting in Siwaha village in Jind.