New Delhi:
Union minister Anurag Thakur presented a written proposal to protesting wrestlers after a five-hour meeting today. It assured completion of investigation against the wrestling federation chief by June 15 but had no word on his arrest.
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The proposal says the Delhi Police will complete the investigation against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is also a BJP MP, by June 15, Olympian Bajrang Punia said after the meeting. “Till then, the protest will be suspended, but the way forward will be decided after the 15th,” he told NDTV.
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Under the proposal, independent elections will also be held for the Wrestling Federation, where Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and his family cannot join. The government has also offered to withdraw the cases filed against wrestlers on May 28, meeting three of the five demands made by the protesting wrestlers.
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But the proposal’s silence on his arrest may prove an obstacle to its acceptance, sources indicated.
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The wrestlers – who have been demanding Singh’s arrest, accusing him of sexual harassment — will discuss the proposal with their supporting organisations and convey their decision to the government, Bajrang Punia said.
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The meeting today was called after Anurag Thakur’s open invite to wrestlers on Twitter. Union Home Minister Amit Shah invited the protesters for a second round of talks shortly after Bajrang Punia’s interview to NDTV.
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The wrestlers claim that women athletes including a minor girl had been harassed by Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and have been demanding his immediate arrest.
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They had launched their campaign against Federation chief in January and resumed their protest at Jantar Mantar in April, declaring they were unsatisfied with the government’s response.
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The Delhi Police, however, cleared the protest site and cracked down on them after they made an effort to hold a protest outside the new parliament on the day it opened. The police said the wrestlers had no permission for the protest and refused to stick to rules. Â
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The government has been insisting on allowing law to take its course – a point Amit Shah reiterated during his meeting with the wrestlers on Saturday.
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After the meeting, Bajrang Punia denied rumours of a settlement with the government, and reports that the minor girl had withdrawn her complaint. Declaring that the protest will continue, he said they were strategising on how to take it forward.
