New Delhi, (Samajweekly) Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi has slammed the BJP-led Centre and the Delhi Police for the treatment meted out to the protesting wrestlers.
The government’s “silence” on the issue led to the condemnation by international wrestling body United World Wrestling (UWW), Chaturvedi said on Tuesday while terming the action against protesting wrestlers “shameful”.
“This is a shame Indian government and Delhi Police called on itself. Wish the Sports Ministry and Women Ministry had shown the spine to stand up for what was the right thing to do rather than over their politics. Wish India’s PM had lived upto his words of Naari Samaan rather than turning a blind eye to the protests. Their silence led to this statement from UWW,” Chaturvedi said in a tweet targeting the government over its silence.
Her remarks came after the UWW condemned the treatment meted out to the protesting wrestlers and their detention following a scuffle with the Delhi Police and said it will hold a meeting with the wrestlers to inquire about their condition and safety.
The UWW said that it will seek further information from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the Ad-hoc body appointed by it for wrestling about its plans for conducting elections for the next governing body.
The sport’s international governing body also threatened of suspending the Wrestling Federation of India if the election process is not completed within the 45 days deadline.
Several star wrestlers, many of whom had won Olympic medals, were on Sunday forcibly removed by the police from their protest site at Jantar Mantar after they tried to march towards the new Parliament House building.
Agitating wrestlers, including Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, and Bajrang Punia, handed their medals to Bhartiya Kisan Union chief and Balian Khap head Naresh Tikait, who had reached Haridwar’s Har ki Pauri to stop them from putting these into the Ganga as a symbolic act of protest against Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, whom they have accused of sexual harassment.
Tikait, along with the wrestlers, have now given five days to the government to sort out their demands, failing which wrestlers will go ahead with their decision to submerge their medals in the Ganga.
