India's first individual Olympic gold medallist shooter Abhinav Bindra has criticised the police action against the country's top wrestlers at Jantar Mantar, saying he was "sleepy and scared" after seeing the horrific images. Olympic and World Championship silver medallists, including Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia and Sangeeta Phogat, were forcibly put in a bus by the Delhi Police when wrestlers and their supporters broke the security cordon and tried to march towards the new Parliament building for a women's 'mahapanchayat' on Sunday.
The agitating wrestlers are demanding the arrest of outgoing Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has also been accused of sexually harassing several women wrestlers, including a minor. He called for a women's mahapanchayat near the new Parliament building on the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to inaugurate it.
"I couldn't sleep last night after seeing horrific pictures of fellow Indian wrestlers protesting, I was scared. India's most successful footballer Sunil Chhetri and former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan also condemned the action against the wrestlers."
Bindra, who won an air rifle gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, said, "The time has come for us to implement independent safety measures in all sports organisations. We must ensure that if such a situation arises, it is dealt with with utmost sensitivity and respect. ''
On Sunday, the wrestlers tried to break the barricade and move towards the new Parliament building from Jantar Mantar, after which there was a scuffle between them and the policemen. After which the wrestlers were detained and taken to different police stations in Delhi. Vinesh resisted strongly during her attempt to be detained and Sangeeta hugged him and lay down on the road. The wrestlers were released after seven hours of detention, but this showed many players from other sports.
India's football captain Sunil Chhetri has said about this, "Why did our wrestlers have to be dragged without thinking? This is not the way to treat anyone. I hope the whole situation will be assessed. Pathan said the issue should be resolved immediately." Pathan tweeted, "I am very sad to see the videos of our players. Please resolve it as soon as possible. ''
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