Days after protesting wrestlers were manhandled by the Delhi Police, they announced on Tuesday that they would immerse their medals in Ganga in the evening and would hold a hunger strike at India Gate in Delhi.
The wrestlers said they would immerse their medals in Ganga River at Haridwar in Uttarakhand at 6 pm.
Protesting wrestlers include Olympics bronze medalist Sakshee Malikkh, Commonwealth Games medalist Vinesh Phogat, Olymbics bronze medalist Bajrang Punia. In a letter shared on Twitter, they have said that the medals around their necks "no longer have any meaning".
They also said they would sit at India Gate on a hunger strike after immersing their medals.
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"Medals are our life and soul. After immersing them in Ganga, our lives would have no meaning...Ater immersing them, we would sit on a hunger strike at India Gate," said the wrestlers in their letter.
Comparing themselves to the fallen soldiers honoured at the India Gate, the wrestlers said, "India Gate is for those martyrs who gave up their life for the nation. We are not that holy but we also had a feeling like soldiers when we played at the international stage."
Earlier, Malikkh said that they would tell the next course of action but they remain undeterred in their protest even as their protest site at Jantar Mantar has been cleared.
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On Sunday, the wrestlers clashed with the police as they marched towards the New Parliament House to demand action against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accused of sexual harassment by protesting wrestlers. Visuals of wrestlers being pinned on the ground went viral, drawing condemnation from people from all walks of life.
Following the scuffle, the police lodged an FIR against the protesting wrestlers under Section 147 (guilty of rioting), Section 149 (unlawful assembly), 186 (obstructing public servant from discharging duty), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) and 353 (criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the Indian Penal code.
"A case has been registered against wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and other organisers of the protest. A few wrestlers had come to Jantar Mantar at night to protest, they were denied permission and were sent back," said Delhi Police.
