Haunted by horrifying images of fellow Indian wrestlers protesting: Abhinav Bindra left 'sleepless' after seeing police dragging grapplers

Abhinav Bindra joined in support of the wrestlers after they were detained by the police while trying to get past the barricade at the Jantar Mantar

SportsTak

• Mon • 29 May 2023

Legendary Indian shooter and India’s gold medallist at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games joined the bandwagon of star sportspersons like Neeraj Chopra and Sunil Chhetri after videos of the protesting wrestlers being dragged by the Delhi Police to trucks were shared by one of the wrestlers Sakshi Malik.

Bindra, who has been vocal in his support for the wrestlers, once again shared his support for the wrestlers with a Tweet on social media. "Last night was sleepless, haunted by the horrifying images of my fellow Indian wrestlers protesting. It's high time we establish independent safeguarding measures across sporting organizations. We must ensure that if such situations arise, they are dealt with utmost sensitivity and respect. Every athlete deserves a safe and empowering environment," he wrote.

On Sunday, May 28, the wrestlers tried to make their way to the inauguration ceremony of the new parliament building but as soon as they tried to cross the barrier they were stopped by the police and then detained by them. The videos have been doing rounds on social media.

The protestors, including Olympic medal winners Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, along with other international grapplers like Vinesh Phogat and Sangeeta Phogat, were going to organise a women's Mahapanchayat. But the police intervened, detaining them and taking them to different locations.

The agitating wrestlers, including likes of Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia, Sakshi and Asian Games gold winner Vinesh have been demanding the arrest of outgoing WFI President Brij Bhushan Singh who they have accused of sexually harassing several women grapplers.

The wrestlers had said that the use of force by police will not deter them from going ahead with their peaceful march and the Mahapanchayat.

"They have been detained for violating law and order. We will take legal action after an inquiry in due course of time," said Dependra Pathak, Special CP, Law and Order after the visuals of the police treatment went viral.