A few days after the protesting wrestlers threatened to throw their medals into the Ganga river and the night after the five-day ultimatum to arrest Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Singh expired, the athletes met Home Minister Amit Shah at his official residence in Delhi on Saturday. However, Bajrang Punia has refused to disclose more details on the same.
According to the Indian Express, the meeting went for over two hours and ended after midnight and was attended by Olympic medalists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik along with several coaches. However, Bajrang told the Indian Express, "We had a meeting with the Home Minister. I can’t comment further."
The Indian Express reported that the athletes demanded a chargesheet to be filed on priority. However, the home minister said that due process needs to be followed.
Bajrang, Sakshi, and World Championship medalist Vinesh Poghat have been at the forefront of the protests against Singh, who has been accused of sexual harassment by seven female wrestlers, including a minor. According to The Indian Express Friday, the Delhi Police registered two FIRs against Singh on April 28 that include at least two instances of demanding "sexual favours" in lieu of professional assistance; close to 15 incidents of sexual harassment, including 10 episodes of inappropriate touching, molestation that includes running hands over breasts and touching the navel; and several instances of intimidation, including stalking.
It also reported that one Olympian, a Commonwealth gold medallist, an international referee and a state-level coach have confirmed the allegations of at least three female wrestlers. They are among the 125 potential witnesses across four states, with the Delhi Police recording their statements.
Police manhandle and detain protesting wrestlers:
With the last high-level meeting happening on May 27th between the protesting wrestlers and government, the protestors. along with their supporters decided to march to the new parliament building. The police officials stopped them on their way, manhandling and detaining them. The cops also lodged an FIR against them in multiple sections.
In response to that treatment, the athletes reached Haridwar on Tuesday to discard their medals in Ganga river. Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) president Naresh Tikait also reached the site and asked them to delay their decision by five days. He said the government should be given 7 to 10 days to take an appropriate action.
