Unwelcome Mat

Wrestling controversy puts question mark on dreams of young girls in Haryana

- NEERU BHATIA

It is a hot, dry evening in June, but there is a dark cloud inside Sonipat’s biggest girls’ akhada. The Brijbhushan Sharan Singh controversy—women wrestlers have accused the BJP MP of sexual harassment; he is yet to be arrested—has reached training centres in Haryana, and coaches and parents are grappling with uncertainty. Veteran wrestler Devi Singh, who runs the Yudhvir Akhada, observes the class from a distance. “The boys would run away; girls are more disciplined,” he says, explaining his decision to open a girls-only akhada.

Singh has seen a lot in his time as wrestler and coach. He does not let out much. “It is too early to say,” he says, cautiously, when asked if the issue had affected new enrolments. On the girls’ safety, he says, “We will respond when the results of the investigation are out.”

Brijbhushan, who has run the Wrestling Federation of India for the past 12 years, has been forced to “step aside” while he is being investigated by the Delhi Police.

The akhada, set up in the middle of a field, houses around 40 girls from in and around Haryana and also from Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Around 20 others commute from their homes every day. They are all in the junior category.

Haryana has close to 15 such girls-only akhadas, where hopefuls as young as eight enrol to fulfil their dream of representing India. Sadly, only a few do.