Wrestlers demanding the arrest of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for alleged sexual harassment led lots of in a candlelight march to India Gate on Tuesday as their sit-in at Jantan Mantar accomplished 31 days.

Lots of be a part of protesting wrestlers in candlelight march to India Gate(Twitter/@journoshantanu)

Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik together with two-time world championships medallist Vinesh Phogat walked within the blistering night warmth with about 1,500 individuals, together with members of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), All India Mahila Congress, Bhim Military and plenty of pupil organisations becoming a member of in.

The march started at 4:30pm, half an hour sooner than initially deliberate, underneath heavy safety with personnel from Delhi Police, Central Reserve Police Pressure and Speedy Motion Pressure deployed. Elevating slogans and waving the nationwide flag, the protesters went previous the closely barricaded residence of Singh and took the radial street resulting in the well-known monument. The marchers took round 90 minutes to cowl the cordoned off 2.5km stretch earlier than lighting candles at Indian Gate to “dissipate Singh’s darkness”.

Because the numbers swelled and fears of a doable stampede grew, Punia, Phogat and Malik climbed a police barricade and addressed the gang.

“Our protest has completed a month and I’d like to thank all our supporters who have stood by us. I’d like to tell you that we are ready to give our lives to get justice for these girls,” Punia introduced to wild cheers.

“It is not our fight alone. We are fighting for every woman who faces harassment in this country. I’d urge everyone to join us in our fight for justice,” Phogat mentioned.

“For the last one month, we’ve been asking for Singh’s arrest. It’s a matter of shame that nothing has happened. As we speak, we are told that several organisations around the country also took out similar marches in their cities and districts,” the Asian Video games champion added.

Whereas there have been buses able to ferry the protesters from Jantar Mantar to Andhra Bhavan from the place they have been to march, most walked your complete stretch chanting slogans for justice and holding placards demanding Singh’s arrest.

“We would like to commend our supporters for maintaining peace and order. The fight will continue as long as we don’t get justice,” Punia mentioned after the march.

Earlier within the day, Punia and Phogat visited Delhi College and interacted with some pupil teams. On Monday, Malik and her husband Satyavrat Kadian went to Jawaharlal Nehru College to garner help from college students.

“We want to reach out to the youth of this country and a lot of student organisations are already with us,” Punia mentioned.

The wrestlers reiterated their determination to attend the Mahila Mahapanchayat on Could 28, outdoors the brand new parliament constructing on the day it’s inaugurated. “We will reach there at 11 am. Women will be at the forefront of the peaceful protest and will be supported by youth groups and members from khaps. We will frame the course of the protest there,” he added.

A month on, little progress

The protest having accomplished a month, there seems no finish in sight to the sit-in. Regardless of two first info reviews (FIRs) being registered towards Singh, a sixth-term MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Kaiserganj, the case has not made a lot progress with the protesters insisting that they received’t name off the protest till he’s arrested. On Tuesday, Singh introduced a public assembly in Ayodhya early subsequent month within the presence of seers.

The wrestling federation’s features are being run by the Indian Olympic Committee (IOA) advert hoc committee that performed U-17 and U-23 males’s and girls’s trials just lately. The protesting wrestlers although are on the shedding finish, as of now, as their coaching and competitions plans have been disrupted.

Their Asian Video games hopes nearly as good as over. Malik, Phogat, and Punia may also miss the Bishkek Rating Collection subsequent month the place, as per the workforce introduced by WFI on Tuesday. Anuj Kumar has changed Punia (65kg) whereas Pooja Gehlot and Sonam Malik have are available in for Phogat (53kg) and Malik (62kg).

The wrestlers although are ready for the lengthy haul. They’ve repeatedly mentioned getting justice for the wrestlers who’ve lodged police complaints stays their prime precedence. Punia has put the present protest over successful medals.

The previous month has seen them conflict with the IOA, authorities and Sports activities Authority of India, moreover a late-night confrontation with the police.