Congress extends support to protesting wrestlers

Congress extends support to protesting wrestlers

New Delhi: The Congress on Monday extended support to agitating wrestlers who are demanding action against the chief of the Wrestling Federation of India over allegations of sexual harassment of players, as it asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his silence on the issue.
All India Mahila Congress chief Netta D’Souza visited the protest site at Jantar Mantar here.
Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said he will meet the wrestlers on Tuesday while his son and Congress Rajya Sabha MP Deepinder Singh Hooda demanded an FIR against WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and a CBI probe into the matter.
“Modi ji break your silence! The players who have made the country proud in the world are sitting at Jantar Mantar against ‘sexual harassment’, but why no action is being taken,” AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet in Hindi.
The wrestlers on Monday threatened to approach the Supreme Court if an FIR is not lodged against the WFI president.
The Delhi police also has sought a report from the probe committee set up by the sports ministry to investigate the sexual harassment allegations against Singh, a senior officer said on Monday.
The oversight committee to probe the allegations against the WFI chief, who is a BJP MP, was announced in January after the wrestlers held a three-day sit-in over the issue at Jantar Mantar.
On Sunday several national award winning wrestlers resumed their protest at the site asking the government to make public the findings of the oversight panel.
“It is a matter of great regret that international level players who have brought laurels to the country have to sit on dharna, they should get justice,” Bhupinder Singh Hooda said.
He said he will visit the protest site at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Tuesday and meet the protesting wrestlers.
“A wrong happened with these daughters who raised the glory of the country, they raised their voice against the wrong, but what did they get,” Mahila Congress chief Netta D’Souza asked.
“Instead of getting justice, they are in tears and the prime minister and his coterie, who make tall claims on women’s safety, are sitting silently to save the BJP MP,” she alleged.
“Prime Minister ji, you will have to account for each and every tear of these daughters who raised the country’s prestige at the international level,” D’Souza said.
Party leader Deepinder Singh Hooda shared pictures of the protesting wrestlers.
“How can the honour of the players who are demanding justice since last three months on the allegations against the Wrestling Federation president be seen from the point of view of party politics,” he tweeted.
The police have said that so far seven complaints have been received against the Wrestling Federation of India President and all of them are being investigated.
The Sports Ministry on Monday stalled the scheduled May 7 elections of the WFI and asked the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to constitute an ad-hoc committee to conduct the polls within 45 days of its formation and also manage the sports body.
PTI

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