Kejriwal joins protesting wrestlers at Jantar Mantar, extends support
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New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday met the wrestlers protesting at the Jantar Mantar demanding the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and extended his support, urging the people to come forward and support the athletes.
Some of India's top wrestlers, including Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, along with Asian and Commonwealth Games medallist Vinesh Phogat are protesting at the Jantar Mantar, seeking action against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on charges of sexual harassment.
Kejriwal said, "Regardless of political affiliation, be it the BJP, Congress or AAP, all those who love the country should support the protesting wrestlers. While we will provide them with all the necessary support, I appeal to the Central government to refrain from cutting off basic facilities such as water and electricity," Kejriwal said.
“They are not fighting for themselves, they are fighting for the entire sports fraternity. Think how powerful the man is that it took seven days and Supreme Court's involvement to register an FIR against him”, he said. "It took seven days for Delhi Police to register an FIR. Had the girls not come forward, bad things would have continued," he added.
Earlier on Saturday, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met the wrestlers protesting at the Jantar Mantar, where she accused the Centre of "protecting" the WFI chief.
The top Indian wrestlers have been protesting since last Sunday, demanding the removal of Brij Bhushan as WFI chief after accusing him of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation. They are also seeking criminal action against the WFI chief.
Delhi Police filed two first information reports (FIR) on Friday night in connection with sexual harassment allegations levelled by the wrestlers, naming six-time parliamentarian Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh as an accused, roughly four months after the athletes first went public with the charges and hours after the Supreme Court heard the case.
This is the second time in three months that the wrestlers have camped in Delhi to raise their demands.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the government had managed to placate the wrestlers with assurances to probe their allegations against Sharan and the WFI after the protest first broke out in January.
With inputs from agencies
