‘That’s how childhood heroes…’: DCW chief reacts to PT Usha's remark on wrestlers

Expressing disappointment over Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha's remark on the protesting wrestlers, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal on Thursday said “that’s how childhood heroes lose respect.” IOA chief PT Usha came down heavily on the wrestlers protesting on the streets of the national capital over sexual harassment allegations against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

"Wrestlers staging protest on streets amounts to indiscipline. It is tarnishing the image of India," Usha told reporters after IOA's Executive Committee meeting.

Reacting to Usha's remarks, Swati Maliwal tweeted: “That’s how childhood heroes lose respect.”

PT Usha is a celebrated track and field athlete who has won over 100 medals at national and international events, including four golds at the 1986 Seoul Asian Games. The sprinter became a household name after her performance at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, where she reached the final but missed out on a medal by a 1/100th of a second. She was nominated to the Upper House last year.

Bajrang Punia, who is among the decorated wrestlers protesting in New Delhi, told PTI, “We did not expect such a harsh response from IOA President PT Usha, we expected support from her.”

Apart from Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik are the central characters in the renewed protests against WFI chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The wrestlers are demanding that an FIR be registered against the BJP MP on the basis of their police complaint, followed by his arrest under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act as one of the complainants is a minor.

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, meanwhile, said the government gave chances to all the protesting wrestlers to present their case before the oversight committee, and reiterated its commitment to an "impartial probe" into the charges against the WFI chief.

"A few wrestlers are sitting in protest at Jantar Mantar. I have spent 12 hours hours with them -- seven hours on the first day and five hours the next day (in January). I had listened to all their grievances, held a press conference at 2-2.30 at night, formed a committee after talking to them.

"They had asked to add a member and gave Babita Phogat's name, and we added her to the committee. There is nothing in our mind, we wanted an impartial probe," Thakur said at a press conference here.

"Whoever wanted to present their version before the oversight committee, was given a chance to do so, there were no restrictions. We even increased the timeline of the probe, there were 14 meetings. Whoever wanted to come, came. We gave a chance to every athlete to present their case."

(With PTI inputs)