Mahavir Prasad Bishnoi, a wrestling coach, has denied allegations that he threatened wrestlers and their families on behalf of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia had recently claimed that Bishnoi and Rakesh, the secretary general of Haryana wrestling association, offered them bribes to keep quiet about being sexually harassed. Bishnoi has denied the allegations and said that he is ready to be hanged if proved guilty.
Bishnoi stated that he was in Hisar attending a wedding with his family when the protests began, and that he does not even know who the victims are. He also mentioned that he has no ill intentions towards anyone and is being dragged into this because he chose not to stand by the wrestlers’ side at the protest site. He said that he quit his job with the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) purely for his passion for wrestling, and that he joined the national camp to help prepare the wrestlers. Bishnoi added that he had delivered results as the Greco Roman coach at the National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) at SAI centre in Sonepat for 16 months.
However, SAI recently called Bishnoi for the national camp, but a day after he joined the centre in Sonepat, he was asked to leave. Bishnoi said that he felt humiliated after being asked to leave the national camp. He said in the past also “a few jealous” people targeted him and accused him of sexual harassment but he came out clean in the internal CISF enquiry.
It is important to note that sexual harassment is a serious issue, and any allegations of such behaviour must be thoroughly investigated. While Bishnoi has denied the allegations, the truth will only come out through an impartial investigation.
In conclusion, the allegations of sexual harassment and threats against wrestlers and their families are serious, and any person found guilty must be held accountable for their actions. An impartial investigation must be conducted to determine the truth, and the safety and well-being of the victims must be ensured.