New Delhi:
Union sports activities minister Anurag Thakur immediately accused the protesting wrestlers of “altering goalposts” and within the authorities’s first touch upon the problem in current days, reiterated that they need to not take any step that “hurts the game or different athletes”.
“The athletes themselves had mentioned that the platform will not be for doing politics. However later political events got here and went and shared this platform,” the minister instructed reporters immediately, refering to the visits by opposition leaders to the wrestlers’ protest website in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
Declaring he wouldn’t touch upon it, the minister added, “I will ask the athletes to attend for the conclusion of Delhi Police’s investigation. The Delhi Police has knowledgeable the Supreme Court docket and filed an FIR (First Data Report). Till the investigation is full, don’t take any step which is able to hurt the game and the gamers”.
This was the federal government’s first touch upon the problem for the reason that champions have been manhandled by the Delhi Police on Sunday, after they tried to carry a protest close to the brand new parliament which was inaugurated that day by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Visuals of Vinesh Phogat, Olympian Sakshi Malik and others being pushed and pulled and pinned to the bottom by Delhi Police personnel, had shocked the nation. The police later filed a case in opposition to the wrestlers and closed the Jantar Mantar protest website to them.
In absence of any intervention or feedback from the federal government, the wrestlers had gone to Haridwar yesterday to consign their medals to the river Ganga. However they postponed their choice after requests from farmer chief Rakesh Tikait. Mr Tikait and farm and khap leaders have sought 5 days to resolve the problem.
Mr Thakur immediately mentioned the federal government had accepted the wrestlers’ demand for a committee to probe the problem and eliminated the federation chief in opposition to whom they have been protesting.
The federal government, he added, has spent crores on coaching of the athletes and the development of sports activities infrastructure. Even now, the Wrestling Federation of India is engaged on the instructions of the Indian Olympics Affiliation, he mentioned.
The wrestlers have been on the warpath since January, demanding motion in opposition to WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, whom they accused of sexually harassing seven athletes, together with a minor.
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a BJP MP who has denied any wrongdoing, immediately asserted that will settle for any punishment if the allegations in opposition to him have been confirmed.
“If a single allegation in opposition to me is confirmed, I’ll hold myself. Should you (wrestlers) have any proof, current it to the Court docket, and I’m prepared to just accept any punishment,” he mentioned.
