Wrestlers decided to throw away medals as they evaded cops

Vinayak Padmadeo

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Haridwar, May 30

As the dust settled in Haridwar, the feeling among the coaches, supporters and general public at Har ki Pauri ghat here was of relief — the bronze medals won in the Olympics at Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo by Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, and Vinesh Phogat’s World Championships medals were not lost to the Ganga.

The drastic decision to throw the medals into the Ganga was taken late last night in a farm between Sonepat and Kharkhoda in Haryana, even as the protesting wrestlers were trying to lose the Delhi Police vehicles tailing them. It is understood that the wrestlers had first asked the coaches, including Ranbir Dhaka, to take drastic decision in response to them being detained by Delhi Police yesterday.

After the coaches decided to not take any decision, it is learnt that the wrestlers led by Vinesh took the decision to immerse their precious medals in the Ganga. The coaches requested the wrestlers to rethink this decision, because the wrestlers ‘must not disrespect medals’.

“We were never in agreement with this step, so we tried to dissuade them. They have been stuck on this idea, and they also told us that they may commit suicide!” coach Gyan Singh told The Tribune. “How can you throw away your medals? We told the wrestlers that we (coaches) would save the medals from the Ganga if they threw them in!” “Also, I was not in favour of the May 28 protest and I kept away. And today, if they called off throwing the medals, it was down to Satyawan’s intervention as he is Sakshi’s father-in-law. They let go of the idea only because of him,” he added.

“A lot of tears and sweat had gone into getting those podium positions, and as they sat near the ghat today, those thoughts came back as the wrestlers, with their spouses and family members by them, shed some more tears as every minute passed after their 6 pm deadline,” he added.

Hectic parleys, including requests from community elders, meant that the wrestlers had to endure a wait of more than 90 minutes before finally giving up the idea of throwing away their medals. Representatives of Jat Mahasabha, mahants, farm union representatives and coaches tried to break their resolve. All this while, they had sat in a semi-circle, crying and resisting requests and slogans to dissuade them.

‘They are shifting goalposts’

Meanwhile, the Sports Ministry criticised the wrestlers for today’s events.

“They do not trust the legal system or the police investigations, or the findings of the Oversight Committee. The medals that the wrestlers have won do not belong to them alone, but to the country, because they played under the Indian flag and their medals have been won with the efforts of not just the wrestlers’ hard work but also the hard work of multiple people like their coaches, support staff,” a Sports Ministry statement said.

Ministry sources said that the wrestlers have been shifting goalposts since they first sat on a dharna against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in January, when they demanded an independent inquiry, following which the Oversight Committee was formed. In April, the wrestlers petitioned the Supreme Court to force Delhi Police to lodge an FIR. “Once FIR is lodged, they say ‘we want Brij Bhushan to be arrested, we want him to be removed from every post (including MP)!” the source said.

UWW condemns police action

United World Wrestling (UWW), the sport’s governing body, has criticised the police action against the Indian wrestlers. In a tersely-worded statement, UWW also expressed disappointment over the pace of investigation against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. “For several months, UWW has followed with great concern the situation in India where wrestlers are protesting over allegations of abuse and harassment by the president of the WFI. The events of these last days are even more worrying that the wrestlers were arrested and temporarily detained by the police for initiating a march of protest… UWW firmly condemns the treatment and detention of the wrestlers,” the UWW statement said.