Khap panchayats threaten bandh if demands of wrestlers not met soon

Rohtak, April 27

Showing their solidarity with the protesting wrestlers in Delhi, the khap panchayats (caste councils) have threatened bandh if the demands raised by them were not met.

Representatives of over 30 khap panchayats from Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh today reached Jantar-Mantar in Delhi and announced their full support to the wrestlers.

The wrestlers had earlier appealed for support to them through social media.

“It is unfortunate that neither an FIR has been registered against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh nor has he been arrested despite so many complaints. We support the wrestlers,” Om Prakash Dhankar, coordinator, Sarv Khap Panchayat, told The Tribune over phone today.

He claimed that besides Delhi and UP, leaders of Dhankar Khap, Jakhar Khap, Ahlawat Khap, Kadian Khap, Birohar-12, Phogat Khap, Sehrawat Khap, Hooda Khap, Rohtak Khap 84, Nandal Khap, Malik Khap and Jhajjar 360 khap from Haryana were supporting the dharna staged by the wrestlers.

“All khap leaders held a meeting and decided to wait for the Supreme Court’s decision before chalking out their further course of action,” said Dhankar. Surendra Solanki, chief of Khap Palam 360, a leading khap of Delhi, said a meeting of all khaps of different states would be called in Delhi to decide on how to progress further if the SC verdict did not come in favour of the wrestlers.