Gathered on the banks of the Ganga at Haridwar to immerse their medals as an act of protest just two days after their eviction from Jantar Mantar, India’s top wrestlers were stopped from their drastic act by the intervention of farmer leader Naresh Tikait on Tuesday evening. Taking the medals away, he bought five days of time from the grapplers who are seeking the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on charges of sexual exploitation, which he has denied.
Earlier in the day, the protesting wrestlers issued a statement regarding their plans to immerse their medals, adding that they would then begin an amaran anshan (indefinite hunger strike) at Delhi’s India Gate. However, the Delhi Police said that the wrestlers would not be permitted to hold any protest in the high-security area.
