Wrestlers increased mass base, completed 32 days of protest
A day after their candle march at India Gate, the protesting wrestlers along with Rio Olympics bronze medalist Sakshi Malik and her wrestler husband Satyavrat visited Haryana’s Fatehabad district to participate in a khap panchayat. A wrestler sitting on the dharna at Jantar Mantar said, “The idea is to garner maximum support before Sunday’s mahapanchayat.”
Wrestlers have announced that they will participate in the proposed Mahila Mahapanchayat on May 28, the day of the inauguration of the new Parliament building, to draw attention to their long-standing protest demanding the arrest of the former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president. will participate. Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. He is facing two FIRs on complaints of sexual harassment by seven wrestlers, including a minor. The mahapanchayat is expected to decide on the future course of the protest.
Malik and Satyavrat also met Giani Harpreet Singh, Singh Sahib of Akal Takht Sahib. The wrestlers’ recent trip follows their youth outreach which has seen them visit Jawaharlal Nehru University and Delhi University campuses this week.
On Thursday, Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat – weather was inclement on Wednesday – will attend a panchayat in Jind, Haryana, to garner more support for their protest, which has now completed 32 days.
wrestling trials
The trials for the Asian Games and World Championships will be held in the third week of June, the final date of which will be announced soon by the ad-hoc panel run by the federation (WFI).
The panel met officials of the Union Sports Ministry on Monday where the Annual Training and Competition Calendar (ACTC) of the WFI was approved. Indian teams will participate in the U-17, U-23 Asian Championships in Bishkek from June 10 to 18.
“The team will return on June 19, after which the trial will take place,” said an official familiar with the plan.
The World Championships (September 16–24) and the Asian Games (September 23–October 8) are held simultaneously in Serbia. The winner of the trials will be selected for both the events as the world meet is also a qualifying event for the Paris Olympics. A national coach said that if a wrestler chooses not to go to a tournament, another wrestler will be given a chance.
The senior national camps, which haven’t happened since the Asian Championships in April, will start after the trials. India will also participate in a ranking series in Budapest (July 13-16).
