Wrestlers protest: Ready to be hanged if proved guilty, says coach Mahavir Prasad Bishnoi

Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia in their recent media interaction claimed that Bishnoi and the secretary general of Haryana wrestling association, Rakesh, have not only threatened the victims but also offered them bribe to "keep quiet"

New Delhi: Dismissing the allegation that he has threatened the sexually harassed wrestlers and their families on behalf of WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, coach Mahavir Prasad Bishnoi on Thursday said he is ready to be hanged if proved guilty.

Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia in their recent media interaction claimed that Bishnoi and the secretary general of Haryana wrestling association, Rakesh, have not only threatened the victims but also offered them bribe to “keep quiet”.

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“You can check my call records and my locations in the last few days. There is no truth in these allegations. I don’t even know who the victims are. If it’s proved that I am involved in giving threat calls, I am ready to be hanged,” Bishnoi told PTI.

“I was in Hisar for a wedding with my family when the protest began. How could I have gone and met the victims’ family. I am sure someone at the protest site is feeding the wrestlers with misinformation.

“These wrestlers know me for years. If someone said to them, taking my name, they should have called me for clarification, instead of levelling baseless allegations against me,” he fumed.

Bishnoi said he has no ill intentions towards anyone and that he is being dragged into this because he chose not to stand by the wrestlers’ side at the protest site.

“Bajrang had called me and requested to join the protest and I refused politely by saying that I want to stay neutral. I quit my CISF job, purely for my passion for wrestling, and joined the national camp to help prepare the wrestlers.

“And I have delivered, giving results as Greco Roman coach at National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) at SAI centre in Sonepat. I was there for 16 months. I am into all these things. I don’t know why they are dragging me into this.” It may be mentioned that SAI recently called Bishnoi for the national camp, but a day after he joined the centre in Sonepat, he was asked to leave.

Explaining the incident, Bishnoi said, “The SAI issued a list of coaches who were to join the national camp in January. I joined the camp on January 17 and was even allotted a room but the SAI created a new list the next day and my name was removed without providing any reason.

“I have asked SAI officials several times but no one gave me an answer. They just said no decision has been taken on my salary since my contract is to be renewed. But then, why did you place my name in the coaches’ list in the first place?,” he asked.

Bishnoi said 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.