Digital Microsite Launched to Cover Sextortion Case in India

Digital Microsite Launched to Cover Sextortion Case in India

Sextortion is a form of corruption in which sex, rather than money, is the currency of the bribe. 

Microsite: Indian wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia protest against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh accused of sexual harassment.

By Rakesh Raman

A new microsite has been launched to cover the sextortion case of Indian women wrestlers who have levelled sexual harassment allegations against an Indian politician.

Sextortion, as defined by the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ), is the abuse of power to obtain a sexual benefit or advantage. As such, it is a form of corruption in which sex, rather than money, is the currency of the bribe. 

The humanitarian organization RMN Foundation – which works in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society – has launched this digital platform to report on the ongoing protest by the sexually harassed women wrestlers.

The interactive digital site includes multimedia content including text reports, images, and videos that regularly inform about the protest and related issues. 

Since the accused – Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh (Brij Bhushan) – in this case belongs to the ruling regime of prime minister Narendra Modi, no action is being taken against him despite a constant protest by the victims and their supporters in New Delhi.

A group of internationally recognized women wrestlers have formally accused Brij Bhushan of serious sextortion / sexual harassment offences. The Supreme Court of India has handled the case in a perfunctory manner.

Although the harassed wrestlers are holding a peaceful protest in New Delhi, such protests do not succeed in authoritarian regimes such as India. Such peaceful protests by the oppressed citizens have repeatedly failed in the autocratic nations such Belarus, China, Israel, Myanmar, Russia, Syria, and so on. Rather, the protesters are being attacked, incarcerated, tortured, or even killed by the police and security forces.

It is alleged in the first information report (FIR) of Delhi Police filed on April 28, 2023 that Brij Bhushan had been demanding “sexual favours” from the female wrestlers including minors and there are at least 15 incidents of sexual harassment that include 10 episodes of inappropriate touching and molestation. 

The wrestlers including Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, and Bajrang Punia are leading the protest. While the fundamental rights of these women are being violated, they have no judicial forum in India where they can go and get justice.

The international organizations such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the United World Wrestling (UWW) have issued some casual statements about the protesting Indian wrestlers, but they have not taken any punitive or formal legal action against the accused in this case.

The protesting wrestlers are demanding the imprisonment of Brij Bhushan. But imprisonment is not a sufficient punishment for him. These days, top Indian politicians enjoy all luxuries – including full-body massage – in jails and they keep moving out of jails at their will. 

And even if Brij Bhushan is jailed, the Modi government will soon release him as it had released last year the Bilkis Bano case convicts who were jailed for the rape and murder of innocent people.

Therefore, now an independent international judicial forum is required to protect the rights of women wrestlers of India.

By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of the humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society. He has also launched the “Power Play: Lok Sabha Election 2024 in India” editorial section to cover the news, events, and other developments related to the 2024 election.