‘Sat For Just 2-4 Minutes With us, Felt Intimidated’: Wrestlers Refute Anurag Thakur’s Claims

Protesting Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik have refuted Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur and legendary Indian sprinter and IOA president PT Usha’s claims. Earlier within the day, Thakur in his press convention in Shimla had mentioned that spent ’12 hours’ with protesting athletes nevertheless, Bajrang acknowledged that the sports activities minister was with them for a couple of minutes.

Phogat additional alleged that the protesting wrestlers felt intimidated throughout these conferences with Thakur and Sakshi Malik hit again at PT Usha’s claims that the protesting wrestlers had been inflicting ‘Indiscipline’ within the nation’s capital.

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Addressing the reporters from Jantar Mantar, Punia mentioned outright refuted Thakur’s claims that he spent ample time with wrestlers.

“The sports activities minister is saying that he spoke to the gamers for 12 hours. Once ask the Sports Minister for the way lengthy you had been sitting among the many gamers. He sat for 2-4 minutes with the gamers. His officers had been mediating with the gamers,” mentioned the Olympic bronze medalist.

“She herself was an athlete and she is also a woman. We did not expect this harsh reaction from her, we expected support,” added Punia.

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“If IOA thinks wrestlers demanding justice is tarnishing the picture of the nation, what was that when she broke down and defined her plight after being harassed by a number of goons at her academy. What had occurred then,” questioned Bajrang.

The top wrestler was referring to Usha breaking down during a press conference in February this year when she spoke about harassment at her academy in Balussery, Kerala.

Phogat further alleged that the sports minister didn’t even spend 12 minutes with the protesting wrestlers and said that they felt intimidated during the meetings to find a common resolve.

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Earlier, Thakur had addressed the media saying that they gave enough chances to all wrestlers to present their case to the oversight committee.

“A few wrestlers are sitting in protest at Jantar Mantar. I have spent 12 hours with them — seven hours on the first day and five hours the next day (in January). I had listened to all their grievances, held a press conference at 2-2.30 at night, and formed a committee after talking to them,” Thakur mentioned.

Furthermore, legendary Indian dash PT Usha bought a stern reply from Sakshi, the Olympic bronze medalist who mentioned the wrestlers weren’t inflicting any type of indiscipline.

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“Being a girl athlete, she (PT Usha) isn’t listening to different girls athletes. Where’s indiscipline right here, we’re sitting right here peacefully…She herself cried in entrance of the media relating to her academy,” Malik hit again.

“Wrestlers staging protest on streets quantities to indiscipline. It is tarnishing the picture of India,” Usha told reporters after IOA’s Executive Committee meeting.

The IOA also instituted a three-member ad-hoc panel, including former shooter Suma Shirur, Wushu Association of India chief Bhupendra Singh Bajwa and headed by a yet-to-be-named retired high court judge, to run the affairs of the WFI until a new body is elected.

Punia, Phogat and Malik are three central characters leading protests against WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

With Inputs from PTI

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