Picture Credit: X
The wrestling body has been hit with a new blow as the junior wrestlers on Wednesday, 3 January at in protest at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. The junior wrestlers have gathered to raise protest against the loss of a crucial year due to the ongoing protest against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).
The junior wrestlers, who hail from various parts of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi expressed their discomfort as their year got wasted due to the senior wrestlers including Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and others sat over the WFI Chief row. Close to 300 wrestlers from academies from Arya Samaj Akhara, Bhaghpat, Virender Wrestling Academy and others arrived in buses to participate in the protest.
Watch the video here:
In the video going viral, the demonstrators held banners with messages written like, “UWW save our wrestling from these 3 wrestlers”.
The senior wrestlers including Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik have been the prominent faces in the protest over Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s sexual harassment row. However, he completed his tenure as the WFI Chief, his close aide Sanjay Singh was elected the new Chief of the body. In recent turn of events, the Sports Ministry has now suspended the Sanjay Singh-led WFI.
Amidst this, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has appointed an ad-hoc panel to oversee the working of the wrestling body.
