Reacting to former cricketer and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly’s statement on wrestlers’ protest, World Championship and Commonwealth Games medalist Vinesh Phogat on Saturday said if cricketers want to support her for justice, he can do so as an athlete. Will play a role Mantras can come and understand their problems.
Wrestlers are staging a protest demanding the arrest and removal of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh following allegations of sexual harassment.
“If he wants to support us in our quest for justice, he can come to Jantar Mantar as an athlete and understand everything from us,” Vinesh told the media.
Former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly on Friday said that wrestlers have brought laurels to the country and hoped that the matter between the protesting wrestlers and the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) would be resolved soon.
“Let them fight their battles. I don’t know what’s happening out there, I just read in the newspapers. I realized one thing in the sports world, you don’t talk about those things, you don’t have all the information ” “I hope it gets resolved.
Wrestlers will take out a candle march on Sunday evening at 7 pm in protest against Indian Wrestling Federation and its President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Vinesh Phogat also said, “The further course of action is being discussed with our legal team. They will decide what to do next.”
Earlier, Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said on Friday that the Delhi Police is conducting a fair investigation against the head of the Wrestling Federation and is working to meet the demands of the protesting wrestlers.
He also urged the wrestlers to let the ongoing investigation get over.
The Union Minister said, “There was a demand to form a committee and a panel was constituted. Two FIRs have also been registered by the Delhi Police and the Supreme Court has also given its verdict. Delhi Police is conducting an impartial investigation. “
The Union Minister said that free and fair elections of the Wrestling Federation of India have been kept in mind and the Indian Olympic Association is working in this direction.
“They asked for a committee, which has already been constituted,” Thakur said on the sidelines of an event in Lucknow.
On 23 April, Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Mallick returned to the protest site at Jantar Mantar, claiming that six female wrestlers and a minor had filed a sexual harassment complaint against Brijbhushan Sharan Singh at the Connaught Place police station , But Delhi Police did this. Do not register FIR at that time. The protesting wrestlers also demanded that the Sports Ministry make public the findings of the inspection committee.
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha met the wrestlers protesting at Jantar Mantar.
Usha, a retired Indian track and field athlete and a Rajya Sabha MP, had earlier ruffled feathers with her comment that the wrestlers should have approached the IOA instead of taking to the streets against the WFI and its president.
“Indian Olympic Association is forming a committee for sexual harassment, instead of going to the streets they (protesting wrestlers) could have come to us first but they did not come to IOA. It is good for the sport not only for wrestlers The IOA president had told reporters last week that there should be some discipline as well, a comment that did not go down well with the wrestlers.
Prominent wrestlers came forward to protest against the WFI chief three months ago, following which the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports constituted an ‘Inspection Committee’ to look into the allegations against WFI, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and some coaches .
The protesting wrestlers have made it clear that they will not bow down until they get justice and Brij Bhushan is removed from the post of WFI chief and put behind bars.