Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday said the Centre is “sensitively handling the issue” of the wrestlers’ protest, demanding the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, over allegations of sexual misconduct. The Minister added that the protesting wrestlers should not take any step that affects players and sports and urged them to trust the probe process.
Mr. Thakur, during his visit to Mumbai, interacted with the media and said the government had accepted the wrestlers’ demand for a committee to probe their allegations without wasting any time. “When the wrestlers asked the government to add one more member to the probe committee, we did that as well. Now, the investigation is underway,” he said.
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“We even stopped all day-to-day activity of the WFI and gave the job of taking care of the federation to Indian Olympic Association [IOA]. So at present, no office-bearer of WFI holds his/her post... I request our sportspersons is to let the investigation get completed. You [protesting wrestlers] will have to trust the police, Supreme Court and Sports Ministry,” said Mr. Thakur.
The Union Minister added he can assure the protesting wrestlers that there will be an unbiased investigation and “justice will be served”.
Commenting on the protest being “politicised”, Mr. Thakur said that he would not want to comment on the protest being joined by several political parties and its members.
“The wrestlers themselves said earlier that there is no place for politics in this matter. Wait for the final investigation results, do not take any action which can affect other players or undermine the sports,” Mr. Thakur appealed.
He said India won 61 medals in the Commonwealth Games (2022 edition) among which 22 were gold. He further said Indian women earned four gold in the 2023 World Boxing Championship.
On May 31, 2023, the protesting wrestlers had reached Haridwar to immerse their medals, including Olympic medals, in the Ganga river as a mark of protest. They defered their plan after the intervention of farmer leader Naresh Tikait. | Photo Credit: ANI
“The government under PM Narendra Modi has increased the budget of Sports Ministry and tried to give the best facilities to sportspersons,” Mr. Thakur said adding that the “respect that sportspersons receive under the Modi government was never the case in previous governments”.
Several Olympic and World Championship medal-winning wrestlers, including Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sangeeta Phogat, have been protesting in New Delhi demanding the arrest of Mr. Singh for allegedly sexually harassing several women grapplers, including a minor.
The wrestlers recently threatened to immerse their medals in the river Ganga.
