Protesting Wrestlers To Immerse Medals In Ganga, Sit On Hunger Strike At India Gate

New Delhi: India’s top wrestlers, who have been leading the agitation against Wrestlers Federation of India’s (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh accused of sexual harassment, on Tuesday announced that they would immerse their medals in the Ganga at Haridwar at 6 pm and then sit on a fast-unto-death at the India Gate.

…it seems that these medals decorated around our necks have no meaning any more. It was killing me just thinking of returning them, but what use is a life lived compromising on your self-respect,” read the statement put out by Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat on their respective Twitter handles.

Since the President, who is a woman herself, said anything on the whole issue, they didn’t feel like returning it to her, they said while accusing the Prime Minister of not asking about them “even once”.

This came two days after they were detained and removed from Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, where they had been living in makeshift tents for nearly 35 days, as they tried to march to the new Parliament building during its inauguration. Women protesters, including Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik, were released around 7.20 pm.