Protesting Wrestlers Spend Night at Temple, Eat Prasad for Breakfast; Reach Jantar Mantar Again

Olympian wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and other top Indian grapplers, who are protesting against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), spent Wednesday night at a temple in Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi.

“All wrestlers were awake till late in the night. They were discussing further plans for the agitation. They were sharing messages on social media, requesting more wrestlers and people of India to join them at Jantar Mantar on Thursday,” sources told IANS.

“Some senior SAI (Sports Authority of India) officials also met them at the temple. This morning they ate prasad and left for Jantar Mantar to continue their protest.”

Here are some of the posts from the wrestlers:

Earlier, the Sports Ministry on Wednesday sought an explanation from the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) “within the next 72 hours”, after Vinesh Phogat levelled serious allegations of sexual harassment of female wrestlers against the sports body’s coaches and president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

The Asian Games and Commonwealth Games gold medallist broke down while speaking to reporters on Wednesday, as more than 30 wrestlers, including Olympic medallists Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, staged a protest at the Jantar Mantar here.

Vinesh said she was subjected to mental harassment by Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, adding that she had even contemplated suicide.

The wrestlers are demanding change in the WFI administration and appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Sports Authority of India to take action against the WFI chief.

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, 66, was elected unopposed president of WFI for a third consecutive term in February 2019.

Taking note of the allegations, the sports ministry has sought an explanation from WFI and directed it to “furnish a reply within the next 72 hours on the allegations made”.

The ministry said, “if WFI fails to furnish the reply within the next 72 hours, the Ministry will proceed to initiate action against the federation in terms of the provisions of the National Sports Development Code, 2011.”

In view of the developments, the ministry has also cancelled the National camp, which was due to start SAI centre in in Lucknow from Wednesday.

(With inputs from Agencies)