Wrestlers Protest: Former India captain and coach speaks out against police action
Anil Kumble, the former Indian cricket team captain, extented his support for the wrestlers, stating that he is dismayed after the May 28 incident.
Indian wrestler and bronze medalist in Rio 2016, Sakshi Malik along with Bajrang Punia, the 2020 Tokyo bronze medalist and Vinesh Phogat, stated that they would ‘immerse’ their hard-earned Olympic medals in the Holy River Ganga at Haridwar. This took place after the Delhi Police removed their tents from the protest site in Jantar Mantar.
Anil Kumble, former Indian coach, and captain of the Indian national cricket team, has lately spoken out against the significant incident that occurred in the nation's capital on May 28th, when the top wrestlers in the country were detained by the Delhi Police.
The wrestlers attempted to march toward the newly inaugurated parliament on that occasion, but the Delhi police stopped them and imprisoned them. The scenes that followed became a huge talking point as wrestlers' attempted to fight off the police but were taken away to jail by the authorities.
What did Anil Kumble say about the Wrestlers' Protest?
Tuesday saw a tweet from Kumble. The 52-year-old worked as a broadcaster for JioCinema during the recently finished 2023 Indian Premier League season.
“Dismayed to hear about what transpired on the 28th of May with our wrestlers being manhandled. Anything can be resolved through proper dialogue. Hoping for a resolution at the earliest,” Anil Kumble said.
The wrestlers and other protestors were charged later that day for rioting and stopping a public official from performing their duties. The Jantar Mantar protest site's tents, bedding, and other belongings were all removed by the Delhi Police.
The wrestlers reached Haridwar to 'immerse' their Olympic medals which included Malik, Punia, and world championship medalist Phogat.
The wrestlers quoted: “These medals are our life and soul. After we ‘immerse’ them in River Ganga, there would be no meaning for us to live. So we will got to India Gate and sit on a fast unto death,”
“All of you saw whatever happened on May 28. The way we were treated and detained by the police. The police not only cleared out our protest area at Jantar Mantar, but also registered FIRs against us, despite the fact that we were protesting peacefully. Have female athletes committed some crime by asking for justice for the sexual harassment committed against them? We have been treated like criminals,”
The wrestlers claim that the female wrestlers have been sexually assaulted by the chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and they appeal for the minister to be arrested.
Published By : Aryan Suraj Chadha
Published On: 30 May 2023 at 20:19 IST