Wait for the Delhi Police Investigation…don’t take any steps that harm sport or any athlete: Sports Miner Anurag Thakur urges protesting wrestlers

Union Sports Miner Anurag Thakur has urged the protesting Indian wrestlers to not take any steps until the Delhi Police Investigation on Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, alleged of sexual harassment and misconduct is concluded.
“The wrestlers had said it themselves in January that this platform is not for politics and we don’t want any political party to do so. But later, the parties and trade unions joined the protests,” Thakur told reporters on Wednesday.
“I don’t want to comment on that but I’ll say this, my dear athletes, wait for the Delhi Police investigation. They’ve regered the FIR keeping in line with their talks with the Supreme Court. It’ll only be right if you don’t take any steps until the investigation is concluded that harm the sport or any athlete. We all are in favor of the sport and the athletes. We all want them to progress. Sport in this country has moved forward under the guidance of Prime Miner Narendra Modi. Not just the budget but the achievements as well,” he further added.

VIDEO | “Several political parties and trade unions joined the stage (of wrestlers’ protest) but I don’t want to comment on that. I urge my dear athletes to wait for the Delhi Police investigation,” says Union Miner Anurag Thakur. pic.twitter.com/VjJlyFGVsQ
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 31, 2023
Earlier on Tuesday, some of country’s top wrestlers including Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat, who’d been protesting at the Jantar Mantar in the national capital for over a month had stated that they’d immerse their Olympics and World Championship medals in Ganga, Haridwar.
After sitting in a huddle on the banks of the river for over an hour-and-a-half, where some of them could be seen sobbing as they clutched their medals and citations, the wrestlers reversed their decision, soon after Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) president Naresh Tikait reached the spot and asked them to defer their decision five days.
“We were assured that our demands would be met, so we stepped back. However, in case the government goes back on its word, we will return to the Ganga again,” a wrestler, who did not want to be named, told The Indian Express.
The events had come in the aftermath of Delhi Police detaining the wrestlers, who then dragged them, hoed them off the streets and put them into police vans before detaining them, when they tried to march to the newly inaugurated Parliament building on Sunday, May 28.
Later on Tuesday, the United World Wrestling put out a strong statement condemning the treatment and detention of the Indian wrestlers.

“For several months, United World Wrestling has followed with great concern the situation in India where wrestlers are protesting over allegations of abuse and harassment the President of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI),” the statement said before adding: “UWW will request further information about the next elective general assembly from the IOA and the Ad-hoc Committee of the WFI. The 45-day deadline that was initially set to hold this elective assembly shall be respected. Failing to do so may lead UWW to suspend the federation, there forcing the athletes to compete under a neutral flag. It is reminded that UWW already took a measure in this situation reallocating the Asian Championship planned in New Delhi earlier this year.”