Neeraj Chopra, Sunil Chhetri, Sreeshankar react after police detain protesting wrestlers

“This video saddens me. There has to be a better way to deal with this,” Neeraj wrote on Twitter in reaction to a tweet from Sakshi.

Published : May 28, 2023 18:23 IST - 2 MINS READ

Watching the wrestlers being detained have been called saddening and barbaric by leading Indian athletes, including Neeraj Chopra, Murali Sreeshankar and Sunil Chhetri.
Watching the wrestlers being detained have been called saddening and barbaric by leading Indian athletes, including Neeraj Chopra, Murali Sreeshankar and Sunil Chhetri. | Photo Credit: The Hindu /PTI
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Watching the wrestlers being detained have been called saddening and barbaric by leading Indian athletes, including Neeraj Chopra, Murali Sreeshankar and Sunil Chhetri. | Photo Credit: The Hindu /PTI

Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra on Sunday reacted after India’s top wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik were detained by the Delhi Police and their protest site cleared.

“This video saddens me. There has to be a better way to deal with this,” Neeraj wrote on Twitter in reaction to a tweet from Sakshi.

Speaking on the incident, Indian Football captain Sunil Chhetri tweeted, “Why does it have to come down to our wrestlers being dragged around without any consideration? This isn’t the way to treat anyone. I really hope this whole situation is assessed the way it should be.”

Indian track and field athlete Murali Sreeshankar also reacted to the incident.

“Absolutely barbaric!! Our champions didn’t deserve this. As an athlete who dreams and works towards the Olympic glory, this picture would leave a very deep wound,” he tweeted.

The wrestlers had been planning to march to the site of the new Parliament building and conduct a ‘women’s mahapanchayat’. The plan coincided with the inauguration of the building by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The wrestlers were initially allowed to leave Jantar Mantar, where they had been sitting in protest since April 24. However, as soon as they crossed the protective barricades around the protest site, they were detained by the police.

With Section 144 in place in New Delhi to prevent disruptions to the Parliament inauguration, Delhi Police tried to stop the wrestlers, whose march only made it until the end of Jantar Mantar Road.

Ironically, the wrestlers were detained in front of the Ashoka Road residence of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the five-time Member of Parliament against whom allegations of sexual harrassment had originally been made.

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