Wrestlers Suspend Protest till June 15 after meeting with Anurag Thakur

Following a request from the government, the protesting wrestlers have agreed to temporarily suspend their protest till June 15. The suspension is in response to the ongoing police investigation into the sexual harassment allegations against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief, and followed a marathon six-hour-long meeting Anurag Thakur, the Union Sports Minister, on Wednesday.

The government has asked the wrestlers to wait until June 15 for the investigation to conclude. Wrestler Sakshi Malik clarified that the protest has not concluded entirely but has only been suspended as per the government’s request.

“The government has sought time till June 15 for the investigation to conclude,” she told RevSportz after the meeting. “The protest is not over yet. We have been asked to suspend our protest till the police complete its investigation by June 15. We will not stage any protest till then. However, we have not called it off completely.”

During the meeting with Thakur, the wrestlers were assured that the investigation would be completed by June 15, and a chargesheet would be filed. Additionally, an Internal Complaints Committee, led by a woman, would be established within the WFI. The WFI elections are scheduled to take place by June 30.

“I had a long six-hour discussion with the wrestlers,” said Thakur afterwards. “We have assured the wrestlers that the probe will be completed by 15th June and chargesheets will be submitted. The election of WFI will be done by 30th June. An Internal complaint committee of the Wrestling Federation will be constituted, headed by a woman. All FIRs against wrestlers should be taken back. Wrestlers also requested that Brij Bhushan Singh, who has completed three terms, and his associates should not be re-elected. Wrestlers will not hold any protest before 15th June.”

The meeting with Thakur was the second discussion between the government and the protesting wrestlers. Previously, they had met with Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, on June 3. In that meeting, the wrestlers requested the withdrawal of the FIR filed against them.
The FIR had been lodged by the Delhi Police on May 29, accusing the organisers of the protest and their supporters of rioting and obstructing public servants while marching towards the new Parliament building on May 28.

To investigate the sexual harassment charges against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a team from the Delhi Police visited his residence in Gonda district, Uttar Pradesh, on June 6. Around a dozen employees and associates of Brij Bhushan were questioned, and their statements were recorded. The police team conducted the investigation on both Monday night and Tuesday morning.

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