Top wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat have resumed their duties in the Railways, following their eviction from Jantar Mantar on May 28, sources said.
As per reports, records from the Northern Railways headquarters show Rio Olympics bronze medallist Sakshi Malik joined her Baroda House office here on May 31, a day after the trio stopped short of immersing their international medals in the Ganga.
On Monday, Sakshi confirmed the news. She meanwhile, denied rumours that she has withdrawn from the agitation.
“The news is completely wrong. None of us has backed down. We will continue our fight for justice and meanwhile, I am fulfilling my responsibility in Railways,” she said.
Bajrang Punia too echoed Sakshi’s words and denied the reports of wrestlers withdrawing from the protest and said their fight will be continued till justice is served.
“The news of withdrawing the movement is just a rumour. This news is being spread to harm us. We have neither retreated nor have we withdrawn the movement… The fight will continue till justice is served,” Punia tweeted.
Sakshi’s husband Satyawrat Kadian also cleared the air and said the protesting wrestlers have not come to any agreement nor withdrawn from the agitation.
Earlier, Bajrang, Sakshi and Vinesh Phogat met Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence on Saturday, to discuss the matter related to their protest against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
“They shared their concern with the Home Minister. The meeting was long and he listened to everything. But ‘koi decision nahi hua abhi tak (no decision has been reached so far)’,” a source close to the wrestlers told IANS.
“There is news over the last two to three days that we have reached an agreement. I deny all such news. We have not come to any agreement nor withdrawn from the agitation,” Kadian told reporters on Monday.
Bajrang, Sakshi and Vinesh are leading the protest by the wrestlers at Jantar Mantar in Delhi since April accusing the sidelined president of the WFI, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment against many wrestlers including a minor.
The protesting wrestlers were manhandled and detained by Delhi Police and their arrangements at the protest site were dismantled.
The wrestlers had gone to Haridwar claiming that they want to drop their medals in the river Ganga. With many people requesting them, they decided to hand over the medals to the farmers’ leaders to take a call.
The wrestlers will soon take a call on where to resume their protest.
20230605-172602
