Neeraj Chopra, an Olympic gold medalist, has urged authorities to act quickly as India’s top wrestlers continue to demonstrate at Jantar Mantar in protest of the sexual harassment claims they have made against the head of the Wrestling Federation of India.
Several well-known Indian wrestlers have protested in front of Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, calling for justice in relation to #MeToo claims made against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the president of the Wrestling Federation of India. It is the second time that the wrestlers have had to take to the streets to call for action against the WFI leader amid allegations of sexual harassment against many female wrestlers. Neeraj Chopra, India’s “Golden Boy,” has turned to Twitter to call on the government to act quickly in response to the ongoing demonstrations.
The accomplished javelin thrower said on Twitter that witnessing the wrestlers take to the streets in quest of justice tears his heart. He noted:
“Seeing our athletes agitating for justice in the streets kills me. To honour our beautiful country and make us proud, they have put in a lot of effort. The integrity and dignity of every person, whether they are an athlete or not, must be protected by our country. What is taking place should never occur. This is a delicate matter that has to be handled with fairness and transparency.
In order to guarantee that justice is done, the relevant authorities must act quickly.
Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and many more top Indian wrestlers are participating in the protest against the WFI president.
Abhinav Bindra, an Olympic gold medallist, earlier offered the wrestlers his support in their protest with a moving tweet on Wednesday.
“As athletes, we put in a lot of work every day to represent our nation abroad. Bindra wrote, “It is really troubling to see our athletes feel compelled to demonstrate in the streets in response to claims of abuse in the Indian wrestling administration.
The wrestlers have been sleeping and practising at the protest site for the past four days.
To protest the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and its president Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, wrestlers organised a candle march at Jantar Mantar in the nation’s capital on Wednesday. The candle march included Vinesh Phoghat, Bajrang Punia, and Sakshi Malik.
