Wrestling mess: Bajrang Punia gives befitting reply to Anurag Thakur's ‘spent 12 hours with wrestlers' remark
Bajrang Punia responds to Anurag Thakur's ‘spent 12 hours with wrestlers' remark.
Top wrestlers' protest against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI)'s chief Brij Bhushan Singh has been hogging the headlines. Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, etc., have led the protestasseven femalewrestlers, including a minor, have complained against Brij Bhushan alleging sexual harassment.
Amid all the chaos, the Delhi Police revealed, on Friday (April 28), that it is set to register an FIR against Brij Bhushan as the protest tightens. A few days back, sports minister Anurag Thakurclaimed that he spent 12 hours with the protesting wrestlers and heard their concerns. However, Punia gave a befitting reply to Thakur's claims.
“The sports minister is saying that he spoke to the players for 12 hours. Once ask the Sports Minister for how long you were sitting among the players. He sat for 2-4 minutes with the players. His officials were mediating with the players,” Punia told reporters a few days back.
"A few wrestlers are sitting in protest at Jantar Mantar. I have spent 12 hours hours with them -- seven hours on the first day and five hours the next day (in January). I listened to all their grievances, held a press conference at 2-2.30 at night, formed a committee after talking to them."
"They had asked to add a member and gave Babita Phogat's name, and we added her to the committee. There is nothing in our mind, we wanted an impartial probe," Thakur had revealed at a press conference in Shimla on Thursday (April 27).
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Thakur added, "Whoever wanted to present their version before the oversight committee, was given a chance to do so, there were no restrictions. We even increased the timeline of the probe, there were 14 meetings. Whoever wanted to come, came. We gave a chance to every athlete to present their case."
After the Delhi Police filedtwo FIRs against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the BJP MP told the media, "Their (wrestlers) demands are constantly changing. They first asked for my resignation as the federation chief, I said that would mean accepting the charges against me. Resignation is no big deal, but I won't do it as a criminal. I am not a criminal," he said, adding that it's not a tough time for him as he has always faced difficulties."