Wrestlers protest: Neeraj Chopra comes in support of protesting wrestlers
India’s top wrestlers, including Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik, resumed their agitation against Wrestling Federation of India chief Brijbhushan Sharan Singh last week, after three months. They had ended their dharna after the formation of an inspection committee to investigate the allegations of sexual harassment against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is also a BJP MP from Kaiserganj. Hearing is also going on in the Supreme Court in this matter, where the wrestlers have filed a petition demanding registration of an FIR against the WFI Chief. As the wrestlers continued to demand action against Singh, Neeraj Chopra, India’s lone gold medalist in track and field events at the Olympics, also supported them. Sharing a post on his official Twitter account, Neeraj Chopra wrote, ‘It pains me to see our athletes on the streets demanding justice. They have worked hard to represent our great nation and make us proud.’
The star javelin thrower further wrote, ‘As a nation, we are responsible for protecting the dignity of every person, be it an athlete or a common citizen. What is happening should never happen. This is a sensitive issue and should be dealt with in a fair and transparent manner. The concerned authorities should take prompt action to ensure justice is done. India’s World Cup-winning former captain Kapil Dev also shared an Instagram story supporting the wrestlers. Posting the story of the press conference of other wrestlers including Bajrang and Vinesh on his official Instagram profile, he wrote, ‘Will they ever get justice?’.