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Wrestlers to take protest beyond Jantar Mantar, to visit Connaught Place today
Also, the wrestlers have released a phone number on which people can give a missed call, and express their support for the protest.
The protest against BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the now-former president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), will be taken beyond Delhi's Jantar Mantar, the protesting wrestlers announced on Monday.
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To start with, the grapplers will go to Connaught Place, the heart of the national capital, later in the day, and interact with the citizens there, said Commonwealth and Asiad gold medallist Vinesh Phogat.
“We will protest not only at our Jantar Mantar protest site, but we will go and protest at other places too. This is because we feel that our site is almost being converted into a jail. We, therefore, want to reach out to more people, because this is not about female grapplers only…this is about each and every daughter of the country. Today, we will go to Connaught Place, and tell people why we are out on the streets,” said Phogat, according to PTI.
According to an ABP News report, the wrestlers will reach Connaught Place at around 6 pm. Also, they have released a phone number, by calling on which, citizens can express support for their movement and cause.
Why are the wrestlers protesting?
Since April 23, country's top grapplers, led by Phogat, and Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, have been staging a dharna at Jantar Mantar, the designated protest site in Delhi. They have alleged that Singh, as WFI chief, sexually assaulted several female wrestlers, including minors, a charge that the politician has denied.
Also Read | ‘First step in our fight for justice’: Bajrang Punia on IOA's decision to take charge of WFI
This is, in fact, the second round of their protest. The first round, in January, was called off after the Union government set up a committee to look into their allegations. Last month, however, the wrestlers returned, alleging inaction on the government's part.
The case is currently being investigated by the Delhi Police. Wrestlers, however, have refused to end their protest, saying they will not do so until Singh is arrested.
