Protesting wrestlers to immerse medals in Ganga River: Sakshee Malikkh

Indian wrestler and Olympic bronze medalist Sakshee Malikkh said the wrestlers protesting against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh would immerse the medals won by them in the Ganga River at Haridwar at 6:00pm on Tuesday. The protesters will then reportedly go on an indefinite hunger strike at India Gate, the place honoring India's fallen soldiers.

• For over four months, wrestlers have been protesting against the WFI's chief, who is facing sexual harassment allegations.
• The protesters were dragged away by security forces on Sunday while they attempted to march to the new Parliament during its inauguration to draw attention to their demand.
• Singh is an MP of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been accused of protecting him.

Malikkh's statement on Twitter read, "Did we do anything wrong by seeking justice against sexual harassment? The police and the system are treating us like criminals." She added that the "abuser" has accepted his wrongdoing on TV and turned the protesters into a laughing stock. "Did we win medals so that the system can...drag us and brand us as criminals?" she asked.

Malikkh further said, "The police treated us barbarically despite protesting peacefully. Our protest site was dismantled and the next day an FIR was slapped on us." "Women wrestlers had to hide in farms all day. Instead of catching the abuser, the system is focused on busting the protest and threatening us," she said. She said there's no point in living by comprising one's self-respect.

Malikkh further stated that they considered returning their awards to President Droupadi Murmu but decided against it because, despite being a woman and only two kilometers away from their protest site, she remained a mute spectator. Returning them to Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also pointless because, let alone checking on them, he invited the "abuser" to the new Parliament's inauguration ceremony, she asserted.

Earlier on Tuesday, Malikkh congratulated Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and its captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on winning the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPC) on Monday night. Compliments poured in for the cricketers, who have so far kept mum as a concerted social media campaign degrades the protesting wrestlers. Notably, the Delhi Police booked the protesting wrestlers under charges of rioting and others on Sunday.