Investigate violence against women wrestlers: Memorandum to NCW, Police Commissioner

By A Representative
A delegation of representatives from multiple women's organizations have submitted a memorandum to the Chairperson, National Commission for Women (NCW) and the Commissioner of Police, Delhi, demanding investigation into alleged police violence against “peaceful protesters”, several of them top women wrestlers.
Comprising of Jagmati Sangwan and Asha Sharma from the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA), Annie Raja and Dipti Bharti from the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), Ritu Kaushik from the All India Mahila Sanskritik Sangathan (AIMSS), Mandvi from the Centre for Struggling Women (CSW), Vertika Mani from the People Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), and Poonam Kaushik from the Pragatisheel Mahila Sangathan (PMS), the memorandum said, there was “excessive use of force” by the police in detaining and removing “unarmed, peaceful protesters advocating for justice against sexual harassment at Jantar Mantar on May 28, 2023.”
Disturbingly, it said, the protesters, including wrestlers and their supporters, were “subjected to public humiliation, physical and verbal abuse by male police officers, groping, beatings, and unwarranted detentions lasting beyond sunset”, adding, “These actions flagrantly violate the fundamental rights enshrined in Article 19(1)(a) -- the Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression, and Article 19(1)(b) - the Right to Assemble Peacefully, guaranteed to every citizen of the country.”
“Regrettably”, a spokesperson of the delegation noted, “Despite prior intimation of the delegation's arrival, the chairperson of the NCW was unavailable for a meeting”. Hence, it had to be submitted to the chairperson's personal secretary. “The delegation expresses its disappointment with the NCW chairperson's lack of attentiveness toward pressing issues concerning the welfare of women in the nation”.
The delegation also visited the Delhi Police headquarters where the Commissioner of Police was unavailable, and therefore, the memorandum was submitted at his office.
The memorandum wondered: "If internationally acclaimed sportswomen, who have brought honour to the country, are treated in such a manner, how can an ordinary woman in India dare to seek justice?"
“It is deplorable that instead of apprehending the accused, who faces multiple charges of sexual abuse under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) (POSH) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Acts, the Delhi police targeted the victims of sexual abuse and harassment. These victims, exercising their fundamental right to protest, were peacefully seeking justice”, it added.
The delegation demanded:

Immediate arrest of BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on charges of sexual harassment, as alleged in multiple cases, including those under the POCSO Act, and the initiation of a transparent and impartial investigation into the matter.
Prompt establishment of a committee to investigate the violence committed by the Delhi Police against the protesting individuals at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on May 28, 2023.
Withdrawal of false cases against the struggling wrestlers.
Scrutiny and investigation into the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) reveals a concerning lack of internal redressal mechanisms, such as an Internal Complaints Committee, as mandated by the POSH Act and duly acknowledged by the Supreme Court of India.

Comments

From Kerala to Bangladesh: Lynching highlights deep social faultlines

By A Representative The recent incidents of mob lynching—one in Bangladesh involving a Hindu citizen and another in Kerala where a man was killed after being mistaken for a “Bangladeshi”—have sparked outrage and calls for accountability.

What Sister Nivedita understood about India that we have forgotten

By Harasankar Adhikari In the idea of a “Vikshit Bharat,” many real problems—hunger, poverty, ill health, unemployment, and joblessness—are increasingly overshadowed by the religious contest between Hindu and Muslim fundamentalisms. This contest is often sponsored and patronised by political parties across the spectrum, whether openly Hindutva-oriented, Islamist, partisan, or self-proclaimed secular.

When a city rebuilt forgets its builders: Migrant workers’ struggle for sanitation in Bhuj

Khasra Ground site By Aseem Mishra* Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is not a privilege—it is a fundamental human right. This principle has been unequivocally recognised by the United Nations and repeatedly affirmed by the Supreme Court of India as intrinsic to the right to life and dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution. Yet, for thousands of migrant workers living in Bhuj, this right remains elusive, exposing a troubling disconnect between constitutional guarantees, policy declarations, and lived reality.

Aravalli at the crossroads: Environment, democracy, and the crisis of justice

By Rajendra Singh* The functioning of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has undergone a troubling shift. Once mandated to safeguard forests and ecosystems, the Ministry now appears increasingly aligned with industrial interests. Its recent affidavit before the Supreme Court makes this drift unmistakably clear. An institution ostensibly created to protect the environment now seems to have strayed from that very purpose.

'Festive cheer fades': India’s housing market hits 17‑quarter slump, sales drop 16% in Q4 2025

By A Representative Housing sales across India’s nine major real estate markets fell to a 17‑quarter low in the October–December period of 2025, with overall absorption dropping 16% year‑on‑year to 98,019 units, according to NSE‑listed analytics firm PropEquity. This marks the weakest quarter since Q3 2021, despite the festive season that usually drives demand. On a sequential basis, sales slipped 2%, while new launches contracted by 4%.

'Structural sabotage': Concern over sector-limited job guarantee in new employment law

By A Representative The advocacy group Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) has raised concerns over the passage of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (VB–G RAM G), which was approved during the recently concluded session of Parliament amid protests by opposition members. The legislation is intended to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

Safety, pay and job security drive Urban Company gig workers’ protest in Gurugram

By A Representative Gig and platform service workers associated with Urban Company have stepped up their protest against what they describe as exploitative and unsafe working conditions, submitting a detailed Memorandum of Demands at the company’s Udyog Vihar office in Gurugram. The action is being seen as part of a wider and growing wave of dissatisfaction among gig workers across India, many of whom have resorted to demonstrations, app log-outs and strikes in recent months to press for fair pay, job security and basic labour protections.

India’s universities lag global standards, pushing students overseas: NITI Aayog study

By Rajiv Shah A new Government of India study, Internationalisation of Higher Education in India: Prospects, Potential, and Policy Recommendations , prepared by NITI Aayog , regrets that India’s lag in this sector is the direct result of “several systemic challenges such as inadequate infrastructure to provide quality education and deliver world-class research, weak industry–academia collaboration, and outdated curricula.”

The rise of the civilizational state: Prof. Pratap Bhanu Mehta warns of new authoritarianism

By A Representative Noted political theorist and public intellectual Professor Pratap Bhanu Mehta delivered a poignant reflection on the changing nature of the Indian state today, warning that the rise of a "civilizational state" poses a significant threat to the foundations of modern democracy and individual freedom. Delivering the Achyut Yagnik Memorial Lecture titled "The Idea of Civilization: Poison or Cure?" at the Ahmedabad Management Association, Mehta argued that India is currently witnessing a self-conscious political project that seeks to redefine the state not as a product of a modern constitution, but as an instrument of an ancient, authentic civilization.

Search This Blog