Wrestlers’ Protest 2023: Post Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s Statement, Delhi Police Deletes Tweet
Disappointed by the lack of efforts shown by the government, the unprecedented behaviour of the Delhi Police and the removal from their Jantar Mantar protest site on May 28, the wrestlers protesting for around 45 days had decided to immerse their hard-earned medals in Ganga at Haridwar and sit on a hunger strike “until death” at the India Gate. After several khap and political leaders urged them not to take such an extreme step, senior farmer leaders Sham Singh Malik and Naresh Tikait sought five days’ time from the grapplers to resolve the issue. The protesters’ demands were clear; the arrest of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a ban on his family’s involvement in the WFI, and the disbandment of the WFI itself. The wrestlers also demanded that the findings of an oversight panel investigating the allegations against Singh be made public.
Soon after the wrestlers decided to throw their medals in River Ganga at Haridwar, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was captured while getting inside his car. On his way, he said, “Aage aage dekhiye hota hai kya, jaanch toh hone dijiye”. He also mentioned how everything is in the hands of the Delhi Police. On the next day, he said, “If a single allegation against me is proven, I will hang myself. If you (wrestlers) have any evidence, present it to the Court, and I am ready to accept any punishment”.
This came after a tweet by the Delhi Police’s official Twitter account got deleted. The tweet read “Some media channels are broadcasting the news of the police filing the final report in the case filed by the women wrestlers. This news is totally wrong. This case is still under investigation and a proper report will be placed in the court only after complete investigation”, in Hindi. Later on, an officer was recorded saying, “During the investigation so far, the police have not found sufficient evidence to arrest the WFI chief. There is also no supportive evidence to prove their (wrestlers) claim. A report will be submitted to the court within 15 days, which could be in the form of a charge sheet or final report”.
It is to be noted that the United World Wrestling (UWW) also issued a statement expressing disappointment and a lack of efforts in the investigation against the President of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
