Protesting wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik reached Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur’s residence in the national capital on Wednesday. Following a new proposal from the minister for a conversation on issues brought up by the former during their month-long protest, he convened a meeting to address their grievances.
The government is willing to have a discussion with the wrestlers on their issues.
— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) June 6, 2023
I have once again invited the wrestlers for the same.
The grapplers put forth their five demands before the minister which included the appointment of a female president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). They sought the arrest of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the current head of the WFI and the exclusion of his family members from the organisation. They wanted the WFI elections to be held ‘impartially.’ Additionally, they asked that the First Information Report (FIR) against wrestlers should be dropped for rioting in Delhi.
“We will discuss the proposal given by the government with our seniors and supporters. Only when everyone gives their consent that the proposal is fine, then will we agree. It won’t happen that we will agree to anything that the government says and end our protest,” Sakhi Malik informed earlier in the day.
Hours after accepting the invitation for a meeting in the late hours of the night, they went to Anurag Thakur’s home in New Delhi. The meeting happened after the wrestlers met Home Minister Amit Shah at his official residence on June 4. However, the wrestlers found the meeting ‘inconclusive.’
Following this, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malika, and Bajrang Punia joined their respective duty in railways. However, Khap and farmer leaders were incensed by this move.
This was the second meeting between the wrestlers and Anurag Thakur. The first one was in January when top wrestlers including Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and Vinesh Phogat met over dinner at his house in January following which they withdrew their protest after gaining assurances that the latter would take appropriate measures regarding the matter.
However, they returned to Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on April 23 after their initial protest in January, to demonstrate against WFI head Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. They demand an investigation into the allegations of sexual harassment of female wrestlers by Bharatiya Janta Party MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh during his tenure as the president of the Wrestling Federation of India.
The Delhi Police has filed two FIRs and ten complaints against the politician regarding the case. The FIRs and complaints were registered at Delhi’s Connaught Place police station. The complaints were registered on April 21, and the FIRs were filed on April 28.
According to the FIRs, he was charged with requesting sexual favours. Ten molestation accusations were also brought against him. The claims included specifics about his attempts at inappropriate contact, which comprised of placing his hand over the girls’ chests and moving it to the back, among other things. The first of the two filed FIRs contained the assertions made by the wrestlers, while the second described complaints presented by the parent of a juvenile.
As part of its probe, the Delhi Police took testimonies from his friends and others who work at his Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, home, according to authorities on Tuesday. They added that the girl whose confession served as the foundation for the POCSO Act has recorded a new statement in accordance with section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
In accordance with the officials, police are gathering evidence in relation to the complaint brought against him and will present a report in court as a result. There have apparently been over 125 persons interviewed and their statements recorded, involving family members and friends from both sides. He has reportedly also been interrogated twice.
In the meantime, the BJP leader has refuted all of the charges and stated that he has complete confidence in the country’s legal and judicial systems.
