The 1983 World Cup winning squad members led by captain Kapil Dev urged the elite athletes not to take a hasty decision and hoped their grievances will be heard and resolved on Friday, June 2, 2023.
Eminent national and international medal-winning wrestlers like Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia have been protesting against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, against whom they have leveled accusations of sexual abuse and exploitation.
They claim that Singh has sexually abused and exploited female wrestlers over the past decade. That came after Delhi Police decided to look into the allegations against Singh a week after the initial complaint was made, and only after the wrestlers requested action from the Supreme Court.
The Delhi High Court got involved in this matter on instructions of the Supreme Court and had the Delhi Police register multiple FIRs against the WFI chief.
Images of Vinesh Phogat and other wrestlers being carried away from their protest in the heart of Delhi surfaced on Sunday, when the wrestlers broke through security and began to march towards the new parliament building, which was being inaugurated by India's prime minister Narendra Modi at the time, Delhi Police intervened.
The 1983 World Cup winners and Members of India's 1983 World Cup-winning cricket team are "distressed and disturbed" at leading Indian wrestlers being "manhandled" by security personnel in the national capital of Delhi earlier this week.
Also, the wrestlers decided to throw their Olympic medals into the river Ganga in Haridwar only to be stopped by Kisan Andolan leader Rakesh Tikait, who had given the central government deadline of June 9 to have Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh arrested.
"We are distressed and disturbed at the unseemly visuals of our champion wrestlers being manhandled. We are also most concerned that they are thinking of dumping their hard-earned medals into the river Ganga. Those medals have involved years of effort, sacrifice, determination, and grit and are not only their own but the nation's pride and joy.
We urge them not to take any hasty decision in this matter and also fervently hope that their grievances are heard and resolved quickly. Let the law of the land prevail,” a statement released to PTI on Friday by members of the squad said.
Kapil Dev, the captain of that side, told PTI that "the whole of 1983 team stands by the statement we have issued".
Apart from Kapil, 13 surviving members of that squad include includes Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Mohinder Amarnath, Krishnamachari Srikkanth, and present BCCI President Roger Binny.
(PTI inputs)
