Indian wrestling lost a champion this week, not in the ring, but in the face of systemic injustice. Sakshi Malik, an Olympic medallist, chose to quit the sport, a stark protest against the continued influence of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a man accused of sexual harassment, within the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).
But amidst this crisis, a chilling silence descended upon India’s primetime news. While women leaders grace newsrooms across the nation, not a single mainstream debate on television addressed the issue. It’s a stark reminder of the selective outrage that defines much of our media landscape.
The facts are stark. Wrestlers, led by Bajrang Punia, have been demanding action against Singh for months. They sought a woman to lead the WFI, a beacon of hope for change. Yet, when elections were finally held, Brij Bhushan’s loyalist Sanjay Singh emerged victorious, leaving the wrestlers feeling betrayed and unsafe.
Sakshi Malik’s resignation was a deafening clap of thunder, echoing the anxieties of countless women athletes. But primetime anchors chose to feign deafness. Instead of delving into the complexities of power and abuse, they opted for safer, familiar narratives. Mimicry debates, parliamentary squabbles, and a Ram Mandir obsession flooded the airwaves, while the plight of Indian wrestling remained relegated to the shadows.
Channels like Aaj Tak and News18 India, notorious for their sensationalism, trivialized the wrestlers’ demands. Instead of engaging in genuine discourse, they dismissed the protesters’ concerns as mere “politics” or “toolkit tactics.” The voices of courageous women were drowned out by the din of manufactured outrage over non-issues.
It’s not entirely surprising. Navika Kumar, a poster child for selective activism, chose to amplify her Hindu-Muslim rhetoric once again, conveniently forgetting her past pronouncements about championing women’s safety. And Arnab Goswami, lost in his self-constructed echo chamber, found no time to dissect the rot within the WFI.
Meanwhile, Republic Bharat, known for its pro-establishment leanings, painted the wrestlers’ protest as an attack on Jat voters and the BJP government. Any semblance of journalistic objectivity was sacrificed at the altar of political expediency.
This blatant disregard for a critical issue exposes the hypocrisy at the heart of primetime news. When convenient, these channels don the mantle of women’s champions. But when genuine voices of dissent emerge, they retreat to their well-worn playbook of distractions and obfuscation.
The silence of primetime is not accidental. It’s a deliberate choice, a calculated decision to protect the powerful and suppress the voices of the marginalized. The plight of Indian wrestling is a microcosm of a larger malaise, a testament to the media’s failure to hold power accountable and champion the causes that truly matter.
Sakshi Malik’s resignation is a call to action, not just for the wrestling federation, but for the media as well. It’s a demand for honest conversations, for genuine outrage, and for a journalism that doesn’t flinch from exposing the dark underbelly of power. Until then, the silence of primetime will continue to ring deafeningly loud, a testament to the values we choose to prioritize and the voices we choose to silence.
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