Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Pahalwan!
Its Time to Make our Whole Country Jantar Mantar for Ensuring Justice for our Women Wrestlers!
Today, Dipankar Bhattacharya, General Secretary of CPIML joined the wrestlers’ protest at Jantar Mantar. Expressing solidarity with the women wrestlers’ who have braved to speak against BJP’s MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and are courageous leading the fight for gender justice. Dipankar Bhattacharya added how the patronage and impunity extended to the likes of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh by BJP is only going to strengthen the resolve and support for the wrestlers’ battle for justice. He also expressed anguish at how “the Prime Minister is busy campaigning in Karnataka elections at a time when our women wrestlers’ are fighting for justice and people in Manipur are suffering and BJP government in centre does not have time for its own people.”
It has been two weeks in this second phase of wrestlers' dharna at Jantar Mantar. Ten days have elapsed since the FIRs were lodged against the BJP's MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh following the Supreme Court's intervention. Yet in these ten days there has been no interrogation of the accused, let alone arrest, despite serious allegations of sexual harassment of India's award-winning wrestlers.
One of the seven complainants is a minor and hence one of the two FIRs has been filed under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and yet Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is roaming free, holding press conferences to threaten the wrestlers and tell the whole world that he has the support of the Modi regime and the BJP top brass. He says he would readily resign if PM Modi or Home Minister Amit Shah or even BJP President Nadda asks him to resign, and yet these leaders are all maintain supreme silence.
A team of CPI ML members along with AISA, AICCTU, RYA and AILAJ visited the protest site at Jantar Mantar and interact with the protesters and their supporters including Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik along with CPI ML General Secretary.
The battle for justice for India's ace women wrestlers has the potential to ignite the spirit of all these popular struggles of last one decade and grow into a decisive upsurge against the current reign of injustice and fascist aggression. The convergence of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Western UP with workers, lawyers, students and other activists from Delhi at Jantar Mantar today offered glimpses of that potential. And the slogan "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Pahalwan" unmistakably conveyed the expanding scope and growing spirit of unity and determination among the protesters.
CPI ML urges people of the country to stand behind our wrestlers’ and ensure Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is arrested and gender justice is guaranteed.
- Central Committee, CPIML
