NEW DELHI: While thanking all supporters for standing with the protesting wrestlers, Vinesh Phogat on Saturday asked them to cooperate with the authorities and the police when they joined them for the mahapanchayat in Jantar Mantar on Sunday, saying their success depended on a peaceful protest.
The protesting wrestlers hope the mahapanchayat will be a huge success and help them gain more support for them in their fight against Wrestling Federation of Indian Chief (WFI) Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Wrestlers Protest: Live Updates
“Today is the 14th day of our protest sit-in at Jantar Mantar. The fact is that you (the supporters) are here and we are here too. We would like to thank everyone who sits with us here and supports us “We would like to thank the whole country for standing with us in this fight for justice. We hope that we will be successful in this fight for truth to prevail,” Vinesh said on Saturday.
Vinesh urged supporters to be peaceful on Sunday so bad elements don’t hijack the protest.
“Tomorrow many people are expected to join us from villages… khap panchayats, kisan and mazdoor unions, student organizations to support us. We call on everyone to be peaceful. Our success depends on a peaceful protest. We also call on all those who will come tomorrow to cooperate with the authorities and the police. We also ask the police not to arrest our fans tomorrow,” the Asian Games gold medalist said.
The best wrestlers in the country, including Bajrang Punished, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat, have been protesting for two weeks, demanding the dismissal of Brij Bhushan as head of the WFI and his arrest due to alleged sexual harassment of female grapplers.
Bajrang, an Olympic medalist, called on compatriots to observe a candlelight march on Sunday to show solidarity with the protesting wrestlers.
“We are asking all Indians to come out with a candlelight march at 7 p.m. on May 7,” he said.
Another Olympic medalist wrestler, Sakshi Malik, said they haven’t decided how to proceed yet as their lawyers are still working on it.
She said the decision to sue in lower court as instructed by the Supreme Court can only be taken after the Delhi police expedite the investigation and take statements from all the plaintiffs.
“We discussed with our lawyers. Our statements have not yet been recorded, we were waiting for this. The police were given a deadline to complete the recording of the statements within a given period. Once the statement is recorded, only then the case We ask the police to record our statements as soon as possible,” she said.
Asked if the Minister of Sports Anurag Thakur had approached them, she said: “There is no approach from him. He already knows our requests, so it does not make sense to see him again. If he wants to talk to us, we will definitely talk .”
Bajrang said the two committees formed on Saturday have full authority to decide their future course of action.
The wrestlers had formed two committees on Friday to advise them on the way forward in their fight against Brij Bhushan.
“We have formed two committees and whatever they decide, we will abide by it. The whole framework of the protest will be decided by the committee.”
(With PTI entries)
The protesting wrestlers hope the mahapanchayat will be a huge success and help them gain more support for them in their fight against Wrestling Federation of Indian Chief (WFI) Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Wrestlers Protest: Live Updates
“Today is the 14th day of our protest sit-in at Jantar Mantar. The fact is that you (the supporters) are here and we are here too. We would like to thank everyone who sits with us here and supports us “We would like to thank the whole country for standing with us in this fight for justice. We hope that we will be successful in this fight for truth to prevail,” Vinesh said on Saturday.
Vinesh urged supporters to be peaceful on Sunday so bad elements don’t hijack the protest.
“Tomorrow many people are expected to join us from villages… khap panchayats, kisan and mazdoor unions, student organizations to support us. We call on everyone to be peaceful. Our success depends on a peaceful protest. We also call on all those who will come tomorrow to cooperate with the authorities and the police. We also ask the police not to arrest our fans tomorrow,” the Asian Games gold medalist said.
The best wrestlers in the country, including Bajrang Punished, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat, have been protesting for two weeks, demanding the dismissal of Brij Bhushan as head of the WFI and his arrest due to alleged sexual harassment of female grapplers.
Bajrang, an Olympic medalist, called on compatriots to observe a candlelight march on Sunday to show solidarity with the protesting wrestlers.
“We are asking all Indians to come out with a candlelight march at 7 p.m. on May 7,” he said.
Another Olympic medalist wrestler, Sakshi Malik, said they haven’t decided how to proceed yet as their lawyers are still working on it.
She said the decision to sue in lower court as instructed by the Supreme Court can only be taken after the Delhi police expedite the investigation and take statements from all the plaintiffs.
“We discussed with our lawyers. Our statements have not yet been recorded, we were waiting for this. The police were given a deadline to complete the recording of the statements within a given period. Once the statement is recorded, only then the case We ask the police to record our statements as soon as possible,” she said.
Asked if the Minister of Sports Anurag Thakur had approached them, she said: “There is no approach from him. He already knows our requests, so it does not make sense to see him again. If he wants to talk to us, we will definitely talk .”
Bajrang said the two committees formed on Saturday have full authority to decide their future course of action.
The wrestlers had formed two committees on Friday to advise them on the way forward in their fight against Brij Bhushan.
“We have formed two committees and whatever they decide, we will abide by it. The whole framework of the protest will be decided by the committee.”
(With PTI entries)
