Wrestlers, protesting against WFI Chief return without immersing medals in northern India
by Surya PrakashLocation Haridwar, northern India's Uttarakhand. Date: 2023-05-30
Top Indian wrestlers, who were protesting for the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, have returned without immersing their medals in northern India’s Uttarakhand.
This happened in Haridwar district’s Har Ki Pauri on May 30.
Visuals showed the wrestlers, including Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia headed towards the Ganga river in Haridwar to discard their medals and awards as a show of protest for no action being taken against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. A huge crowd had gathered at the place and there were a lot of policemen as well. The wrestlers were seen breaking down in distress on the bank of the river. Later, senior farmer leader and Bharat Kisan Union (BKU) president Naresh Tikait was seen taking the medals and awards from the wrestlers as they took a five-day time for this issue to get resolved. He also questioned the government for their silence on this whole matter.
“Entire Indian government is saving one man (WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh). There will be a Khap meeting tomorrow,” he said.
On May 28, the protesting wrestlers were detained by the Delhi Police. The wrestlers had planned a women’s ‘Mahapanchayat’ on the day the new parliament building was being inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and shocking scenes showed the police drag and manhandle the wrestlers while detaining them. Several sports stars have condemned this action and called for a resolution to this entire matter.
