January 07, 2025 11:44 pm (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
'I won't bite': Kamala Harris tells Senator's husband as he refuses to shake hands with her | Centre announces memorial for Pranab Mukherjee, his daughter thanks PM Modi for 'gracious gesture' | Delhi assembly elections on Feb 5, results on Feb 8 | Allu Arjun visits boy injured during Pushpa 2 stampede in Hyderabad | Donald Trump repeats his US-Canada merger offer after Justin Trudeau's resignation | India's HMPV cases surge to 7 after two cases reported from Nagpur | H-1B visa renewal will get simpler in 2025, Indians to benefit most as home country travel won't be required | As India detects 3 HMPV cases, #lockdown trends; Centre says no need to panic | Justin Trudeau announces resignation as Canada's PM amid rising pressure by partymates | 8 jawans, driver killed as Maoists blow up security vehicle in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur
Wrestlers Protest
Image Credit: UNI

Take leave and join them for the nation: Arvind Kejriwal after meeting protesting wrestlers at Jantar Mantar

| @indiablooms | Apr 29, 2023, at 11:49 pm

New Delhi/IBNS: After Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday met wrestlers protesting against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Singh over alleged sexual harassment and expressed solidarity with the athletes.

"If you love your country then join their protest. Whether you are from BJP or Congress or AAP, take leave for two days and come here to join the protest if you love the nation," Kejriwal said after meeting the athletes at Jantar Mantar.

He said Brij Bhusan Singh is so powerful that it took seven days and the Supreme Court to file an FIR against him and hence it is quite clear that if they (wrestlers) were not on protest path the wrongdoing against the women would have continued.

Earlier, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met the wrestlers protesting against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Singh here and accused the government of trying to save Singh.

She also demanded removal of Singh from the post of WFI chief stating that she feels the latter would use his position to influence the investigation.

Several wrestlers including Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik resumed their protest at Jantar Mantar here on Sunday against Singh accusing him of sexual harassment

"There is a serious allegation against this person. First, he should resign from the post (of WFI chief).Till he holds the post. He will keep pressurising," Vadra told reporters after she met the wrestlers in an apparent reference to Singh.

Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the matter, she said, "I don't have any hope from the PM. If he was bothered, he should have called them and spoke to them. When they won medals he then called them."

"The government is trying to save this person (Singh)," Vadra said.

In January, the Sports Ministry formed an Oversight Committee to enquire into the allegations of sexual misconduct, harassment and/intimidation, financial irregularities and administrative lapses, levelled by prominent sportspersons.

The Ministry instructed the executive committee of WFI to abstain from managing the day-to-day activities of the federation during the course of the enquiry.

Earlier this week, a petition was filed by seven wrestlers in the Supreme Court seeking registration of an FIR against the WFI chief.

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.