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India’s first World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev has come out in support of protesting wrestlers at Jantar Mantar who are seeking criminal action against Wrestlers Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh who has been accused of sexual harassment. Dev posted an Instagram story on April 27 which had a photo of wrestlers at Jantar Mantar with caption reading “Will they ever get justice?”
Earlier in the day (April 27), Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha said that the wrestlers protesting on the streets is tarnishing the country’s image and amounts to indiscipline.
"Wrestlers staging protest on streets amounts to indiscipline. It is tarnishing the image of India," Usha told reporters after IOA's Executive Committee meeting.
A three-member adhoc committee comprising of Arjuna Awardee shooter Suma Shirur, Bhupendra Singh Bajwa and retired High Court judge (name not revealed yet) has been formed to conduct WFI elections.
On the same day, Sports Minister Anurag Tahkur said that the government gave the protesting wrestlers enough chances to present their case before the oversight committee. Thakur said that he had always wanted an impartial probe.
"A few wrestlers are sitting in protest at Jantar Mantar. I have spent 12 hours hours with them -- seven hours on the first day and five hours the next day. I had listened to all their grievances, held a press conference at 2-2.30 at night, formed a committee after talking to them.
"They had asked to add a member and gave Babita Phogat's name and we added her to the committee. There is nothing in our mind, we wanted an impartial probe," Thakur said at a press conference in Shimla.
"Whoever wanted to present their version before the oversight committee, was given a chance to do so, there were no restrictions. We even increased the timeline of the probe, there were 14 meetings. Whoever wanted to come, came. We gave a chance to every athlete to present their case."
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