Country’s prime wrestlers together with Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik had reached Haridwar and sat across the banks of river Ganga in silence in protest in opposition to Wrestling Federation of India chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has been accused of sexual harassment.
(PTI photograph)
Emotional wrestlers have been surrounded by a whole bunch of individuals as slogans have been raised in their assist. Farmer leader Naresh Tikait later arrived on the protest sight, met with the wrestlers and satisfied them to not immerse medals. He additionally questioned the federal government over their silence of the matter.
Asking for a five-day time interval, Naresh took the medals from the wrestlers as they left the banks of river Ganga and the positioning.
Amid the slogans of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai and Nyay Do’, Ganga Aarti Samiti additionally urged the wrestler to not use the spiritual web site for protest and politics.
Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) nationwide president Naresh ensured assist to the wrestlers saying that the ladies wrestlers are their daughters and so they will not allow them to down.
“Entire Indian authorities is saving one man (WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh). There will probably be a Khap assembly tomorrow,” introduced farmer leader Naresh after the protest got here to an finish.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann additionally lent his assist to the wrestlers saying it was shameful for the nation that wrestlers needed to go to Haridwar to immerse their medals in the Ganga in protest in opposition to the Union authorities.
Brij Bhushan, a BJP MP, has been accused by the wrestlers of sexually harassing a number of feminine gamers.
Sakshi, Vinesh and her cousin Sangeeta have been seen sobbing as their husbands tried to console them, whilst scores of their supporters fashioned a cordon round them.
The wrestlers stood for about 20 minutes in silence after reaching Har ki Pauri. They then sat on the banks of the river holding their medals and searching distressed.
Bajrang joined them after 40 minutes. Sombir Rathi, husband of Vinesh, was holding the Asian Games medals received by her spouse. Sakshi was holding tightly the framed Olympic bronze medal she had received in 2016 in Rio.
The complete episode was reminiscent of the 1960 incident when the legendary Muhammad Ali, then Cassius Clay, threw his Olympic gold medal into the Ohio river to protest racial segregation in the US.
(ANI photograph)
“The khap leaders put their turbans earlier than us and mentioned ‘don’t lose hope’. Keep the dignity of the turban and return. So we determined to attend,” mentioned wrestler Jitender Kinha, who has been an element of the protesting group.
There have been chaotic scenes on the Har ki Pauri as khap and farmer leaders broke the human chain of supporters to succeed in out to the grapplers, whilst hundreds of devotees, who had gathered on the event of Ganga Dussehra, appeared baffled as commotion reigned supreme.
The wrestlers left with out talking with the media.
Several different khap leaders and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann additionally got here out in assist of the wrestlers however urged them to indicate restrain.
“The wrestlers have mentioned they may immerse their medals in Ganga river. We request them that these medals are the consequence of their hardwork, sacrifices of their households and assist from society… they need to not take this step.
“It is unlucky that those that represented the nation in prime worldwide tournaments that they’re compelled to take such choices. The authorities ought to have some disgrace and provides justice to them,” Khap leader Balwant Nambardar mentioned.
Close on the heels of the wrestlers saying they’d immerse their medals, sports ministry sources mentioned the trophies and medals additionally belonged to the nation.
“The medal that the wrestlers have received don’t belong to them alone, however to the nation, as a result of they performed beneath the Indian flag and their medals have been received with the efforts of not simply the wrestlers’ exhausting work but additionally the exhausting work of a number of individuals like their coaches, assist workers,” a ministry supply informed PTI.
He added that crores of taxpayers’ cash had gone into their coaching.
“More than 150 crores have been spent in the final 5 years in wrestling simply in order that the wrestlers can get one of the best coaching, teaching and infrastructure services. They have been despatched for overseas coaching, skilled at nationwide camps and competed internationally to hone their expertise and win medals in Olympic, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. This cash belongs to taxpayers.”
Cannot protest at India Gate
The wrestlers, after being evicted from Jantar Mantar on May 28 have mentioned they may proceed their protest and go on a starvation strike “till loss of life” on the India Gate.
However, the Delhi Police mentioned on Tuesday that they won’t be allowed to protest at India Gate as it’s a “nationwide monument and never a web site for demonstrations”.
Sakshi had mentioned, “India Gate is the place of these martyrs who sacrificed themselves for the nation. We will not be as holy as them however our feelings whereas enjoying on the worldwide stage are just like these troopers.”
She wished president Draupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had addressed the difficulty.
“We don’t need these medals now as a result of by making us put on them this shiny system is utilizing it as a masks for its personal publicity whereas exploiting us. If we converse in opposition to this exploitation, it prepares to ship us to jail.”
On May 28, the Delhi Police detained Malik together with world championships bronze winner Vinesh and Olympic medallist Bajrang, and later filed FIRs in opposition to the wrestlers for violation of regulation and order.
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee mentioned on Tuesday the therapy meted out to the wrestlers by the Delhi Police had “tarnished” the picture of the nation.
“They have been badly overwhelmed, and this has tarnished the picture of the nation globally. I’ve spoken to them this afternoon (Tuesday) and warranted them that we’re with them and we’ll absolutely assist them. I’ve informed them that the medals they received have made the nation proud. You stick with it together with your motion.
“My solidarity is with them. I’ve requested my sports minister Arup Biswas to carry a rally to indicate solidarity with the wrestlers tomorrow from Hazra More to Rabindra Sarovar (in Kolkata).
“I can’t converse a lot about their resolution to throw their medals into the Ganga. It’s their resolution. Women wrestlers have been assaulted bodily. Nobody has been arrested. They haven’t adopted the Supreme Court’s course to lodge an FIR.”
Meanwhile, in Haridwar, a stampede-like scenario developed when the wrestlers left together with the a whole bunch of their supporters, worsening the scenario additional.
The roadside retailers, promoting water bottles and souvenirs suffered injury as their objects have been trampled.
(With inputs from PTI)
