'Will throw our medals in Ganga': Wrestlers issue threat after police 'brutality'

India's top wrestlers, including Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshee Malikkh, have threatened to throw their medals in the Ganga, alleging mistreatment by the Delhi Police and the Union government. The wrestlers have been protesting at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, demanding the arrest of WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who they have accused of sexually exploiting women grapplers.

On May 28 – the day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Parliament building amid much fanfare – the protesting wrestlers were detained by Delhi Police when they attempted to march towards the new Parliament building for women's 'Mahapanchayat'. Disturbing videos of police action against the elite wrestlers went viral on social media, drawing scathing criticism from the sporting fraternity and opposition parties. They were released late on Sunday night.

“Our medals are scared, and so is Mother Ganga. The right place for the sacred medals is the Ganga, and not with the State, which stands with the culprit,” the wrestlers wrote in a letter in Hindi, which they shared on social media.

They also accused the government of hounding the female wrestlers, who were the victims, instead of taking action against Singh. The letter also accused the government of treating them like “criminals”, while the “real criminal” is roaming freely.

They added that they thought of returning the medals to the President or the prime minister, but decided against it as the former, despite being a woman herself, is yet to speak a word on this matter, while the latter, who called them the nation's daughters once, never bothered to check with them on the hardships they were facing.