Protesting Indian wrestlers met Home Minister Amit Shah, pressed for action against WFI chief: Report

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah reportedly met the protesting wrestlers at his official residence in the New Delhi capital city late Saturday night.

During the meeting, which is said to have begun at 11 pm and lasted till midnight, the wrestlers pressed for an impartial probe and quick action against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has been accused of sexual harassment by seven female wrestlers, including a minor.

The athletes present in the meeting included Olympian Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, SakshiMalik, Sangita Phogat and Satyawart Kadian.

According to reports, the wrestlers sought immediate action and an impartial probe against Singh.

In response, Shah assured them that justice will be provided, and asked them to let the law take its own course.

It is being further reported that the wrestlers wanted to meet the Union home minister their five-day deadline for action against the wrestling federation chief ended on Saturday.

Before Shah, the wrestlers also spoke with sports minister Anurag Thakur who assured fair probe into their allegations.

Wrestlers give 5 days time to nab WFI Chief | India News

The meeting comes days after the wrestlers attempted to immerse their medals in the Ganga, Haridwar, in a symbolic protest, but were stopped by farmers leader Rakesh Tikait, who gave an ultimatum to the government to arrest Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh before June 9.

The wrestlers have said that they will end their protest only after Singh is arrested.

So far, police have filed two complaints against Bri Bhushan Sharan Singh after the wrestlers started their protest in April at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi.

The nature of the complaint revealed serious allegations against the BJP member of parliament (MP), which documents instances of the WFI chief touching female wrestlers in a sexually offensive manner, including minors, despite being repeatedly asked not to do so.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police have cordoned off the protesting site (Jantar Mantar), claiming that the wrestlers broke the law in a frenzy despite repeated requests.

Several protesters were detained during the march. Visuals of champions Vinesh Phogat and her cousin Sangeeta Phogat being pinned onto the ground by the police had evoked shock and outrage across the country.

(With inputs from agencies)

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