New Delhi, May 30 : Prominent wrestlers in the country, who were detained by Delhi Police and forcibly removed from their Jantar Mantar protest site, have announced their intent to immerse their hard-earned medals into the sacred river Ganges. They further declared that they will commence a hunger strike at India Gate, vowing to continue until death.
Sakshi Malik, a bronze medallist at the 2016 Olympics, took to her Twitter handle to share a statement stating that the wrestlers would travel to Haridwar on Tuesday at 6 pm to submerge their medals in the holy river. “These medals are our life and soul. We are going to immerse them in the Ganges. After that, there is no point in living, so we will sit on a hunger strike until death at India Gate,” she expressed in the statement written in Hindi. Vinesh Phogat, another esteemed wrestler, shared the same statement on her social media.
Coinciding with their planned action, Tuesday marks Ganga Dussehra in Haridwar, likely attracting a considerable number of devotees.
On Sunday, Delhi police detained Sakshi Malik, along with World Championships bronze medalist Vinesh Phogat and another Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia. Subsequently, FIRs were filed against them for violating law and order, as dramatic scenes unfolded at the Jantar Mantar protest site. The wrestlers and their supporters breached the security cordon in their attempt to march towards the newly inaugurated Parliament building for a planned women’s ‘Mahapanchayat’.
During this episode, unprecedented scenes of police forcefully removing the Olympic and world championships medal-winning athletes were witnessed. When the wrestlers and their supporters were stopped by the police, a clash erupted.
The protesting wrestlers and their supporters were taken to different locations in the capital and subsequently released. Following their removal, the police officers cleared the protest site by dismantling the cots, mattresses, coolers, fans, and the tarpaulin ceiling, along with other belongings of the wrestlers. The Delhi Police has made it clear that they will not permit the wrestlers to return to the protest site.
