Dismayed to hear about what transpired on the 28th of May with our wrestlers being manhandled. Anything can be resolved through proper dialogue. Hoping for a resolution at the earliest.
— Anil Kumble (@anilkumble1074) May 30, 2023
Wrestlers’ protest: 1983 World Cup winners ‘distressed and disturbed’ at developments
Members of India’s 1983 World Cup-winning cricket group are “distressed and disturbed” at main Indian wrestlers being “manhandled” by safety personnel within the nationwide capital of Delhi earlier this week.
In an announcement, the squad members additionally stated they’re “most concerned” that that athletes is perhaps “dumping” their medals within the River Ganga as a part of their ongoing protest in opposition to the non-action in opposition to Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, in opposition to whom the wrestlers have levelled accusations of sexual abuse and exploitation.
“We are distressed and disturbed at the unseemly visuals of our champion wrestlers being manhandled,” an announcement launched to PTI on Friday by members of the squad stated. “We are also most concerned that they are thinking of dumping their hard earned medals into river Ganga.
“Those medals have concerned years of effort, sacrifice, willpower, and grit and are usually not solely their very own however the nation’s delight and pleasure. We urge them to not take any hasty choice on this matter and in addition fervently hope that their grievances are heard and resolved shortly. Let the legislation of the land prevail.”
Kapil Dev, the captain of that facet, advised PTI that “the entire of 1983 group stands by the assertion now we have issued”.
Apart from Kapil, the 13 surviving members of that squad includes Sunil Gavaskar, one of the icons of the game, as well as Ravi Shastri, Mohinder Amarnath, Krishnamachari Srikkanth and Roger Binny, the current BCCI president who was also the highest wicket-taker in the tournament.
On Sunday, images of Vinesh Phogat, among other wrestlers, being dragged away from the site of their protest in central Delhi had emerged. Delhi Police acted against the wrestlers – whose protest has been led, since January, by Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, the last two of whom are Olympic Games medallists – when they breached the security barriers and started to march towards the new parliament building, which was being inaugurated by Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, at the time. The protesters were pushed into buses and taken away, and police personnel cleared the protest site – not far from the parliament building not long after.
Apart from Kumble and Uthappa, there was a message from Irfan Pathan, who tweeted “I’m so unhappy to see the visuals of our Athletes” on Sunday night itself, and from Manoj Tiwary, now a Member of the Legislative Assembly in West Bengal, who offered his support to the wrestlers.
Saddened to hear about what’s happening with our wrestling heroes. I’m certain there is a better way to have this addressed in a peaceful manner. I pray it happens soon.
— Robin Aiyuda Uthappa (@robbieuthappa) May 31, 2023
I’m so sad to see the visuals of our Athletes…. Please solve this ASAP
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) May 28, 2023
The tweets from Kumble, Irfan and Tiwary got here across the time of the IPL 2023 remaining, which Chennai Super Kings won off the final ball in opposition to Gujarat Titans.
The morning after the final was completed – after rain in Ahmedabad caused long delays over two days – Malik had even tweeted out a jibe of sorts directed at the Indian cricket community.
Congratulations MS Dhoni ji and CSK. We are happy that at least some sportspersons are getting respect and love they deserve. For us, the fight for justice is still on
— Sakshee Malikkh (@SakshiMalik) May 30, 2023
Not long after that, Malik, Phogat and Punia made public statements saying that they would be immersing their medals, earned at competitions around the world including the Olympic Games and the World Championships, into the River Ganga, which they have since opted in opposition to.
The wrestlers’ protest started in January.
They have alleged that Singh sexually abused and exploited women wrestlers – including a minor – over the past decade. That was after Delhi Police agreed to investigate the charges against Singh a week after the complaint was first filed and only after the wrestlers moved the Supreme Court for action. But the wrestlers’ larger mission has been to remove Singh from his position, and to draw attention to the charges against him.
Just round a month in the past, Kapil Dev, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Shikha Pandey were among the cricketers to speak up about the protests being carried out by India’s top wrestlers demanding Singh’s dismissal.
“Will they ever get justice,” Kapil had asked at the time in an Instagram post with a photograph of Phogat, Punia and Malik, who have been the faces of the protest. They were part of a group of 30-odd wrestlers at Jantar Mantar in January, too, when they made public the allegations against Singh, a member of parliament from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
“You do come ahead to congratulate us once we win one thing. Even the cricketers tweet when that occurs. Abhi kya ho gaya [What has happened now]? Are you so afraid of the system? Or perhaps there’s one thing fishy occurring there too?”
Vinesh Phogat, on April 28
Following that, the union sports ministry, of which former BCCI president Anurag Thakur is the man in charge, tasked its oversight committee to investigate the matter and submit the findings by February. The committee included, among others, boxer MC Mary Kom and wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, both Olympic Games medallists (Mary Kom is also a former member of parliament). Reports say that the findings of the oversight committee have not been made available to the wrestlers.
Support for the wrestlers from the cricket community had been limited all along, and Phogat had even issued a plea of sorts to the Indian cricket community, asking why they had been silent on the plight of their fellow sportspersons.
“The total nation worships cricket however not even a single cricketer has spoken up,” the Indian Express quoted Phogat as saying. “We aren’t saying that you simply communicate in our favour, however not less than put up a impartial message and say there needs to be justice for whichever get together. This is what pains me… Be it cricketers, badminton gamers, athletics, boxing…
“It’s not like we don’t have big athletes in our country. There are cricketers… During the Black Lives Matter movement in the US, they showed their support. Don’t we deserve even that much?
“You do come ahead to congratulate us once we win one thing. Even the cricketers tweet when that occurs. Abhi kya ho gaya [What has happened now]? Are you so afraid of the system? Or perhaps there’s one thing fishy occurring there too?”