‘Give me 5 days’: Farm leader Naresh Tikait convinces wrestlers; they head back
The athletes said that after throwing their medals into the river they would return to New Delhi to begin a hunger strike at the India Gate war memorial.
Farmer leader Naresh Tikait on Tuesday stopped the protesting wrestlers from throwing their medals into Ganga river and gave the government five days to act on the demands over sexual harassment allegations against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Bharatiya Kisan Union chief Naresh Tikait, who is also the brother of BKU spokesperson Rakesh Tikait, arrived at Har-ki-Pauri to lend support to the protesting wrestlers.
"They (wrestlers) need to be practising on mats in stadiums but have been ill-treated and forced to sit at Jantar Mantar and now at sacred Ganga Ghat. In fact, action should be taken against Brij Bhushan. We are with truth and as farmers’ agitation had shown, sooner or later victory will be of truth," said Tikait.
Some of India's top wrestlers demanding the arrest of their federation chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over sexual harassment allegations arrived at the bank of river Ganga in Haridwar to 'immerse' their medals as a mark of protest. The wrestlers had been camping in New Delhi's Jantar Mantar since April 23 demanding action against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has denied any wrongdoing.
Star wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, and Bajrang Punia, who have been at the centre of the renewed protest against Singh, announced earlier today that they, along with other protesting grapplers, will hurl their medals into the holy river at 6 pm.
"These medals are our life and soul. We are going to throw them in the Ganges. After that there is no point of living, so we will sit on a hunger strike until death at India Gate," she said in the statement written in Hindi.
Tuesday happens to be Ganga Dussera in Haridwar, a day when a lot of people are there to offer prayers.
TV visuals showed wrestlers sobbing and holding their medals close as they prepared to toss the medals into the river.
Hours after the wrestlers announced their plan, the Haridwar police said they will not stop the wrestlers from entering the district or immersing the medals.
Haridwar senior superintendent of police Ajai Singh said: “The wrestlers are free to do anything. If they are coming to immerse their medals in holy Ganga, we won’t stop them. Neither have I received any such instructions from my senior officials.”
'No communication from govt'
Punia told India Today that there has been no communication from the government side since their announcement to immerse their hard-earned medals in the river.
Oppn leaders slams govt
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said the entire country is shocked and teary-eyed.
“The whole country is shocked. There are tears in the eyes of the whole country. Now the Prime Minister should leave his arrogance,” Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi.
Congress's youth wing chief Srinivas BV tweeted, “Prime Minister, what is the crime of these daughters? And what is so special about your favourite Brijbhushan??”
“These medals are not bought, they have been won for the country by their hard work. The country's head has already bowed down in shame, now don't let them flow in the Ganges.”
Fast unto death at India Gate
The wrestlers, who were removed by the Delhi Police from their Jantar Mantar protest site on Sunday, today said they sit on a hunger strike "until death" at the India Gate after immersing their medals in the Ganga. Delhi Police, however, is likely to not allow the aggrieved wrestlers to shift their sit-in to India Gate, reported PTI citing officials aware of the matter.
"India Gate is not a protest site and we will not allow them (wrestlers) to protest there," PTI quoted a police source as saying.
"They have not approached us till now with any such request. If they want to protest, they will have to submit a written communication to the DCP concerned, following which a call will be taken accordingly," he said.
(With bureau inputs)