Vinesh Phogat Releases Video in Brij Bhushan Case, says ‘Main Bhi Victim’, Fears for Safety
Three years after the Jantar Mantar protests, Vinesh Phogat has publicly confirmed she is one of six complainants against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh — and fears for her safety as she prepares to compete in his home territory.
Arvind Chhabra
Chandigarh, May 3
Three years after Vinesh Phogat stood at Jantar Mantar demanding justice, the India’s most decorated woman wrestler on Sunday did what she had carefully avoided until now — she named herself.
In a video posted on X ahead of her return to competitive wrestling, Phogat confirmed she is one of the six women who filed sexual harassment complaints against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. “I did not want to speak while the case is still pending,” she said, “but I want to say that I myself am one of those six victims who filed a complaint, and our testimonies are still ongoing.”
The statement lands at a charged moment. Phogat is days away from competing for the first time in 20 months — and the venue is Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, Brij Bhushan’s home ground.
‘If Anything Happens, the Government is Responsible’
Vinesh Phogat did not mince words about what competing in Gonda means to her. “Our team and the whole country expect us to do well. I don’t think I will be able to give my 100% there. It is very difficult for a girl to compete in such a situation,” she said in the video.
She went further, issuing what amounted to a public warning. “If I go to that competition, I will have my team with me. We will also have our well-wishers. If there is any incident with anyone, I want to tell you all that the government will be responsible for it.”
She urged the sporting community and media to remain present at the venue during the tournament — an unusual appeal that underlines her stated sense of vulnerability.
Brij Bhushan Still Claims Influence. No Action Taken.
Central to Vinesh Phogat’s anguish is what she describes as the continued impunity of the man she has accused. “Even today, Brij Bhushan says that he runs the wrestling federation. He says this in front of the whole country. But still, the sports ministry or the government does not take any action,” she said.
Vinesh Phogat also referred to remarks Singh has reportedly made publicly about killing a man. “Brij Bhushan himself says on camera that he killed a man. Still, he did not get any punishment. So you can think about his mentality. What can he do? Anything can happen to anyone.”
“I don’t want any privilege or any special treatment for myself,” she added. “I just want the decision on the mat to be based on the hard work of every athlete. Not by any goon.”
How We Got Here: The Three-Year Reckoning
The protests that put Indian wrestling on the front pages began in January 2023, when Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and other top wrestlers gathered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, accusing Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh — then a sitting BJP MP from Kaiserganj, UP — of sexually harassing multiple women wrestlers, including a minor.
The Delhi Police registered two FIRs at Connaught Place police station on June 15, 2023 — one under IPC sections covering sexual harassment and criminal intimidation, and a second under the POCSO Act on behalf of the minor complainant.
In May 2024, a Delhi court found sufficient grounds to proceed, framing charges against Singh under IPC Sections 354 (assault with intent to outrage modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), and 506 (criminal intimidation). Former WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar was also charged. Singh was, however, discharged in one of the six complaints for lack of evidence.
The POCSO case hit a wall in May 2025, when a Delhi court accepted a cancellation report filed by Delhi Police, effectively closing the minor wrestler’s case. Singh’s sons celebrated publicly on social media.
The main case — involving five women wrestlers including Phogat — continues. But the pace has been glacial.
The Case That Isn’t Moving
Singh has filed a petition at the Delhi High Court seeking to quash the FIR and the charges framed against him. As of January 2026, that petition had not been argued even once, despite multiple hearing dates. Delhi HC Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma expressed open dissatisfaction, asking his counsel: “Why are you not arguing this? Since you have filed it, this matter has not been argued even once.” The matter was adjourned to April 21 after yet another request for time.
The trial at the lower court is meanwhile proceeding — the High Court confirmed there is no stay on those proceedings. But with Singh’s quashing petition hanging, and adjournments piling up, there is no conviction, no verdict, and no end in sight.
The Return — and What It Means
Against this backdrop, Phogat is returning to the mat. She has registered for the National Open Ranking Tournament 2026 in Gonda, scheduled from May 10 to 12 — her first competitive appearance since the Paris 2024 Olympics, a gap of 20 months.
She will compete in the 57kg category — her fifth weight-class shift across a career that has spanned 48kg, 55kg, 53kg, 50kg and now 57kg. The tournament is a critical qualifier for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, scheduled from September 19 to October 4.
Phogat’s Paris story needs no retelling — she reached the 50kg final with a string of victories including a 5-0 win over Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez in the semis, only to be disqualified for being 100 grams over the weight limit before the gold-medal bout. She announced retirement the same day, then reversed it in December 2025, setting her sights on Los Angeles 2028.
Vinesh Phogat’s career record stands among the finest in Indian wrestling history: gold medals at the 2018 Asian Games and three Commonwealth Games (2014, 2018, 2022), two World Championship bronze medals, and three Olympic appearances.
The Wrestler and the Question That Won’t Go Away
Vinesh Phogat has fought on the mat and in the courts. She has won Asian Games gold and lost an Olympic final by 100 grams. She has protested on the streets of Delhi and now warns that the government itself will bear responsibility if anything goes wrong in Gonda.
What she cannot yet claim is justice.
The man she accuses continues to declare publicly that he controls Indian wrestling. The case against him is on through courts.
“I don’t know if I will be able to give my 100% there,” she said. For a wrestler of her calibre to say that is not a complaint. It is an indictment.
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