'Looked up to her for support': Protesting wrestlers after PT Usha's criticism

Singh, who is also a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP, has denied the allegations and indicated he will fight fiercely to prove he is innocent.

Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Ravi Dahiya, and Deepak Punia have been protesting against Singh and demanding the government take action on their complaint.

They have also written to Usha to act on the matter urgently.

Usha, meanwhile, criticized the wrestlers for not waiting for the report of a committee that is looking into their allegations to come out before deciding to sit on a public protest in Delhi.

She said the protest "amounts to indiscipline".

"The players should not have protested on the streets. They should have at least waited for the report of the committee. What they have done is not good for the game and the country. It is a negative approach," Usha said.

Responding to Usha, the wrestlers said they are hurt by her comments as they looked up to her for support.

"We feel hurt by PT Usha's comment. She is not supporting us despite being a woman herself. What indiscipline have we done? We are sitting here peacefully. If we had got justice, we would not have done this," wrestler Sakshi Malik told reporters today.

Wrestler Vinesh Phogat alleged that he dialed Usha to discuss their matter, but she did not answer his call. "... We don't know whether she is under some kind of pressure," he said.

Bajrang Punia, who is also on protest, said they have been waiting for three months for justice.

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur had earlier formed the committee to look into the allegations against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and its chief.

The committee submitted its report on April 5. But the ministry has not yet made public the findings of the six-member committee.

"The Narendra Modi government has done excellent work for sportspersons in the country. The government spends a lot to help sportspersons. Some 3,000 players get ₹ 5 lakh on their boarding, lodging and training. They also get ₹ 1.20 lakh for personal expenses," Thakur told reporters Thursday.

"Some wrestlers were sitting at Jantar Mantar (in Delhi). Who spoke to them? I left all my programmes in Himachal Pradesh and heard them for 12 hours. Seven hours one day, over five hours the next day. We did a press conference late at night. We made a committee... The Narendra Modi government is very clear about standing with the players and helping them. For us, the priorities are the sports and the players. We won't compromise with them," Thakur said.