“Wrestlers Protest in Haridwar: Immersing Medals in Ganga and Demanding Arrest of WFI President”

Haridwar: The Haridwar police have clarified that they will not stop the wrestlers who are continuing their protest demanding the arrest of the President of the Wrestling Federation of India, Brij Bhushan Singh, after they announced that they will immerse the medals they won for the country in the Ganga.

Haridwar Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Singh said that the wrestlers are free to enter Haridwar or leave their medals in the Ganga and no orders have been received from higher officials to stop them. Devotees immerse gold, silver and ashes in the Ganga and if wrestlers want to throw away their medals, let them do so, SP said. Singh said that during Ganga Dussehra, around 15 lakh pilgrims come to take holy dip in Ganga and wrestlers are also welcomed for the same.

Actors Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat had similarly tweeted that they will go to Haridwar and immerse the medals at 6 pm. “These medals are our life and soul. After leaving them in the Ganga, there is no particular meaning in our being alive. So after leaving the medal, we will start a hunger strike at Indiagate which will continue till death,” the players said in an official statement.

The wrestlers have been protesting since April 21 demanding the arrest of MP Brij Bhushan Singh. Several national wrestling stars have filed sexual harassment complaints against Brij Bhushan. It will also include a minor actor. The police arrested many of the wrestlers who took out a protest march after the inauguration of the new Parliament building on Sunday. The protest stalls of the stars were demolished and the organizers of the protest were booked for rioting and unlawful assembly.

Ganga Sabha President Nitin Gautam said that preparations are being made for the Ganga Saptami celebrations where lakhs of pilgrims gather and they have not been informed about the arrival of wrestlers in Haridwar. Satpal Brahmachari of Radhe Shyam Ashram, Haridwar opined that it is inauspicious for our democratic system that the top stars of the country are forced to leave their hard earned medals in the Ganges. Tirth Maryada Raksha Samiti convener Sajnay Chopra said that the wrestlers should not commit any kind of violation of the law and should not turn their strike into a media attention event and wait until the police investigation is over.