Wrestlers Protest: Khap 'mahapanchayat' at UP's Muzaffarnagar in support of wrestlers
- Wrestlers Protest LIVE: Indian Olympic medalist wrestlers Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia along with Vinesh Phogat and Sangeeta Phogat are protesting against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Singh. They have accused the WFI chief of sexual harassment and are demanding his arrest
Wrestlers Protest LIVE: Chief of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Raj Thackeray, sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, urging him to address the legitimate grievances of the women wrestlers who have accused BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment, PTI reported.
"The motto of Khelo India would remain a dream if we allow a picture to be painted of the government that is indifferent to their grievances. I request you to look into this matter and bring out a solution," Raj Thackeray said.
Indian wrestlers, whose protesting sites have been cleared by the police following their detention on Sunday, are now contemplating their next move. The wrestlers are demanding the arrest of WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who they have accused of sexually exploiting women grapplers. Yesterday Rio Olympic bronze medalist Sakshi posted a video from her Twitter handle, clarifying that they have not given up. Whereas the Delhi Police categorically said that wrestlers will not be allowed to protest again at Jantar Mantar. On Sunday, the Delhi Police detained ace Indian Olympians like Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, and Sakshi Malik, saying the sportsperson violated law and order. The action by Delhi Police on wrestlers has received a barrage of criticism from people from the sports fraternity including Javeline champion Neeraj Chopra and former shooter Abhinav Bindra. Besides, opposition parties have also slammed the Centre for not taking action against Bhushan who is also a BJP MP from Kaiserganj.
Check all the latest updates on wrestlers' protests at Mint's LIVE blog:
Handling issue sensitively, players are important to us: Sports Minister Anurag Thakur
"We are handling this issue (wrestlers protest) very sensitively. Whatever the players demanded, we are doing all those things. Necessary action will be also taken once Delhi police file the chargesheet. To all those politicising this issue, I would like to say that the law is equal for everyone and all the players are important to us," said Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur in Mumbai during a function in Mumbai
Will fight till protesting wrestlers get justice: Mamata Banerjee
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday came out in support of protesting wrestlers who have been seeking arrest of WFI chief Brij Bhushan Singh, stating that she will fight till they get justice.
Taking to the streets of Kolkata, for a second day, Banerjee described the wrestlers’ struggle as "a struggle for life, justice, and independence'.
“Will fight till protesting wrestlers get justice,”the chief minister said.
"I will request the wrestlers to continue their movement. This fight is for life, for independence, for humanitarian justice," Banerjee said while participating in a protest supporting the wrestlers who have been demonstrating sexual harassment of women grapplers and demanding the arrest of the WFI chief.
Farmers back wrestlers: Mahapanchayat in UP, protests in Haryana, Punjab
Farmer outfits held a ‘khap mahapanchayat’ in Uttar Pradesh and a series of protests in Punjab and Haryana on Thursday, showing solidarity with wrestlers who have accused Wrestling Federation of India chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment.
At the congregation in Soram village in UP’s Muzaffarnagar, Bhartiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait said they planned to meet President Droupadi Murmu and will hold another mahapanchayat in Haryana’s Kurukshetra on Friday to discuss the next steps in the agitation.
In Delhi, Trinamool Congress MPs walked out of a parliamentary panel meeting after their demand to discuss the safety of women athletes was rejected by its chairman and BJP MP Vivek Thakur, according to party MP Sushmita Dev.
Confident that protesting wrestlers will get justice: Maneka Gandhi
BJP MP Maneka Gandhi on Thursday said she was confident that the protesting wrestlers, who are seeking the arrest of outgoing WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over sexual harassment allegations, will get justice.
Gandhi was here to attend an event "Let’s Co-exist" -- to celebrate the spirit of living and thriving on a shared planet.
"I am sure that they will get justice at the end of it," the Lok Sabha MP told reporters when asked about her stand on the wrestlers' issue.
The wrestlers are on a protest demanding the arrest of Singh over sexual harassment charges.
Khap Mahapanchayat: Delegation will meet Prez Murmu to seek justice for wrestlers
A Khap Mahapanchayat held here on Thursday decided that a delegation would meet President Droupadi Murmu to seek justice for wrestlers demanding action against BJP MP and outgoing WFI chief Brij Bhushan Saran Singh accused of sexually abusing female grapplers, farmer leader Rakesh Tikiat said.
The mahapanchayat was called by Bhartiya Kisan Union leader Naresh Tikait on Wednesday, a day after he and other farmer leaders managed to dissuade some of India's top wrestlers from throwing their medals in the Ganga river to protest alleged police inaction against the outgoing Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief.
Naresh Tikait is the head of the Balyan Khap. The mahapanchayat was attended by khap leaders from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi. (PTI)
Parliamentary panel demands immediate government intervention in wrestlers' issue
The Standing Committee members of Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports met on Thursday to discuss the issues of wrestlers and the opposition leaders demanded immediate government intervention in the matter.
Talking to ANI, a member of the committee said, "We have raised the issues before the chairman of the committee and sought immediate intervention from the government."
According to a member of the committee, the members of the opposition parties in the meeting demanded that the chairman of the committee should write a letter to the government in connection with the forceful removal of protesting wrestlers from the protest site at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. (ANI)
Protesting wrestlers are changing their demands: WFI chief
Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is facing sexual harassment allegations, on Thursday said the women wrestlers are changing their demands since they started their protest against him, asserting that the charges are already being probed by the Delhi Police.
"Police is probing the matter. Let it complete. Whatever comes in it, I will act accordingly," Singh, who is also the BJP MP, said at a press conference here.
"I request you with folded hands that unnecessary questions should not be asked to me," he told the reporters. (PTI)
Samyukt Kisan Morcha holds demonstrations in Punjab, Haryana
Farmers, under the banner of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, on Thursday held demonstrations at many places in Punjab and Haryana in support of the protesting wrestlers seeking the arrest of WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over sexual harassment charges.
The farmers also submitted memorandums to deputy commissioners and sub divisional magistrates, demanding the arrest of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) had given a call for nationwide demonstrations on Thursday in support of the wrestlers issue. It had given the protest call to "secure the democratic right to protest by the Indian wrestlers” and all other sections of society and to “demand the arrest of BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh”. (PTI)
'Doesn't sound real': Kapil Sibal on WFI chief's 'will hang myself if charges proved'
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Thursday took a swipe at Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's remarks that he will hang himself even if a single allegation is proved against him, saying it does not sound real.
The swipe by Sibal, a senior advocate who represented the protesting wrestlers in the Supreme Court, came a day after Singh, who is facing sexual harassment charges levelled by female wrestlers, said all wrestlers are like his children and he will not blame them as his blood and sweat have also gone into their success. (PTI)
TMC stages walk out from parliamentary meeting
TMC MPs on Thursday walked out of a parliamentary standing committee meeting after their demand to discuss safegaurds provided for women sports persons by various sports federations in the light of the allegations made by protesting wrestlers was deemed to be "outside the meeting's agenda" by its chairman BJP MP Vivek Thakur, sources said.
TMC MPs Sushmita Dev and Asit Kumar Mal staged the walkout after the party raised the issue of safety of women sports persons at the meeting of the Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, and asked if internal complaints committees were formed at different sports federations and if they were active, they said.
Khap 'mahapanchayat' begins in UP's Muzaffarnagar in support of wrestlers protest
A khap "mahapanchayat" was convened in Soram village with the purpose of addressing the ongoing protest by wrestlers against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the Chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). The event on Thursday was organised by leaders of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU).
A mahapanchayat was organized by BKU leader Naresh Tikait on Wednesday, following a successful intervention by him and other farmer leaders to dissuade a group of esteemed Indian wrestlers from immersing their medals into the Ganga river as a form of protest against the WFI chief's alleged sexual harassment cases and the perceived lack of action by the police.
Centre is handling issue of wrestlers sensitively: Sports Minister Thakur
Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday said that the Centre was sensitively handling the issue of protesting wrestlers, PTI reported.
"The government is handling the issue of protesting wrestlers sensitively. The wrestlers asked for an FIR which has been filed by the Delhi police. A committee of administrators has been set up by the Wrestling Federation of India as they demanded that its office-bearers shouldn't be allowed to function," Thakur said.
Security tightened at Delhi borders ahead of SKM protest
Security has been tightened, extra police personnel have been deployed and we have also set up extra pickets at Delhi's borders, PTI reported.
"We want to ensure that law and order are maintained and no untoward incident takes place. This has been done as a precautionary measure," a senior police officer told PTI.
Vehicles entering Delhi from neighbouring states are being checked at the borders, he said.
Who are the wrestlers leading the protests?
Freestyle wrestler Malik, 30, became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal in the sport when she took bronze at the 2016 Summer Games in Brazil. Malik was awarded the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian honors, by former President Pranab Mukherjee in 2017, Bloomberg reported.
She also won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, UK, last year and at the Asian Wrestling Championships in Doha in 2015. Malik works for JSW Sports Excellence, a unit of Indian conglomerate JSW Group.
Vinesh Phogat, 28, won gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2018 Asian Games, becoming the first Indian female wrestler to take the top medal at both tournaments.
Bajrang Punia, 29, is a freestyle wrestler. He won a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 and has been a medalist four times at the World Wrestling Championships.
'POCSO and immediate arrest apply to all accused other than Singh,' Kapil Sibal slams BJP
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Wednesday slammed the government over the issue of allegations of sexual harassment levelled by women wrestlers against WFI president Brij Bhushan Singh, and asked whether POCSO and immediate arrest apply to all accused other than Singh because he belongs to the BJP, as reported by PTI.
The attack by Sibal, a senior advocate who represented the protesting wrestlers in the Supreme Court, came a day after the matter escalated as the wrestlers reached Haridwar on the banks of the Ganga, threatening to immerse their World and Olympic medals in the holy river but stopped short of doing so after being convinced by farmer leaders who sought five days to address their grievances.
DYFI, SFI to hold nationwide protest from June 4 in support of wrestlers' protest
Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and the Students Federation of India (SFI) jointly declared a nationwide protest in support of the wrestler's protest from June 4, ANI reported.
Wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat have been protesting against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over sexual harassment allegations and are demanding his arrest.
Don't take any step that could undermine sports: Anurag Thakur
Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Wednesday asked protesting wrestlers not to take any step that could undermine sports or hurt players and said appropriate action will be taken once the probe into their allegations is completed, a day after the grapplers threatened to immerse their medals in river Ganga, PTI reported.
He also said that the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) will hold elections and a new body will be elected soon.
Security tightened at Delhi borders ahead of demonstrations called by SKM
Vehicles entering Delhi from neighbouring states are being checked at the borders, Delhi Police officials told PTI.
The SKM, an umbrella body of farmers' unions, had on Tuesday called for nationwide protests on June 1 in support of wrestlers who have been demanding the arrest of Singh for allegedly sexually harassing female grapplers, including a minor.
BJP MP Pritam Munde urges swift attention to women's complaints
Amid the protest by wrestlers demanding the arrest of former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over sexual harassment allegations, BJP MP Pritam Munde has said cognisance should be taken of a complaint made by any woman, PTI reported.
Munde said, "I, not as a member of Parliament, but as a woman say that if such a complaint comes from any woman, then its cognisance should be taken. It should be verified." After verification, authorities should decide whether it is proper or improper, she said. "If cognisance is not taken, then it is not welcomed in democracy," the Lok Sabha member from Beed said.
Farmers' Union SKM Calls for Nationwide Protests on June 1
The SKM, an umbrella body of farmers' unions, had on Tuesday called for nationwide protests on June 1 in support of wrestlers who have been demanding the arrest of Singh for allegedly sexually harassing female grapplers, including a minor, PTI reported.
In a statement, the SKM had said its call for demonstrations was aimed at securing the democratic right to protest by the Indian wrestlers and all other sections of society, and to demand the arrest of Singh, who is also a BJP MP.