New Delhi: Hundreds of young wrestlers gathered at Jantar Mantar in this city on Wednesday to voice their protest about the loss of a crucial year in their careers, which they attributed to the actions of top grapplers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, and Vinesh Phogat. This development added another angle to the continuing crisis in Indian wrestling. The junior wrestlers surprised the police when they arrived, loaded in buses, from various parts of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Delhi.
Close to 300 of them came from Arya Samaj Akhara in Chhaprauli, Baghpat while many others came from the Virender Wrestling Academy in Narela. Many are still packed in buses and they plan to deboard and join their colleagues when more wrestlers arrive at the landmark protest site.
The security personnel struggled to control them as they shouted slogans against Punia, Malik and Phogat.
The protesters were carrying banners that read: 'UWW save our wrestling from these 3 wrestlers'.
Ironically, almost a year back at the same protest site, the top three wrestlers had managed to draw huge support for their cause when they called for the arrest of former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh after accusing him of sexually harassing women wrestlers.
Thousands of people from different sections of society, including farmers groups, social workers, politicians, women's groups and members of the wrestling fraternity, came out to support Malik, Phogat and Punia.
The three are now facing protests from within their community with those assembled at Jantar Mantar, accusing them of ruining their careers.
Since January 2023, national camps and competitions have been on hold as the WFI has been suspended twice and an ad-hoc panel is running the sport.
Those protesting on Wednesday demanded that the suspended WFI be restored after disbanding the ad-hoc panel which has been appointed to run the sport by the sports ministry.
With PTI inputs