Wrestlers adamant, meeting with Sports minister inconclusive
New Delhi (PTI): Top Indian wrestlers' meeting with Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur remained inconclusive on Thursday night as they refused to back down from their demand that the government immediately disband the Wrestling Federation of India.
The marathon meeting began around 10 pm on Thursday, the second day of the wrestlers' protest against WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
The wrestlers left Thakur's house at 1:45 am and did not speak to the reporters waiting outside.
Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia, Ravi Dahiya, Sakshi Malik and world championship medallist Vinesh Phogat were part of the meeting.
Thakur flew to Delhi from Himachal Pradesh after an earlier meeting between government officials and the protesting wrestlers remained inconclusive.
The wrestlers will meet the Sports minister again on Friday, according to government officials.
The ministry cannot force Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh to resign unless it receives a written reply from the WFI since the government itself has asked the wrestling body for an explanation.
The WFI is yet to respond to the Sports Ministry, which on Wednesday gave the wrestling body 72 hours to respond to allegations of sexual harassment of several woman athletes and intimidation by its president.
According to sources, the government wants the wrestlers to end their protest but the athletes are adamant that the WFI should be disbanded first.
"The government can resolve other issues later. We are fine with that, but it must disband the WFI first," a source close to the wrestlers told PTI.
A team of wrestlers, including Bajrang, Vinesh, Anshu Malik, Sakshi and her husband Satyawrat Kadiyan met government officials earlier on Thursday and discussed their issues with Sports Secretary Sujata Chaturvedi and Sports Authority of India Director General Sandip Pradhan.
During the hour-long meeting, the wrestlers were asked to end their protest and assured that their grievances will be addressed.
Former wrestler and BJP leader Babita Phogat was also part of the meeting to break the deadlock.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Hit by car, delivery agent dies after falling from flyover in Delhi
New Delhi (PTI): A food delivery agent died after falling from the Dabri flyover in southwest Delhi when his scooter was allegedly hit by a car on Thursday morning, police said.
The car driver fled from the spot, police said.
A PCR call was received at 7:35 am informing that a person had fallen from the Dabri flyover on Pankha road and required immediate medical assistance, they said.
A police team rushed to the spot and found a damaged scooter and a car on the flyover. The scooter rider sustained serious injuries and was immediately shifted to a nearby hospital in an ambulance, where doctors declared him dead, they added.
According to police, the victim was identified as Rajkumar, a resident of Jharkhand's Godda district. He was working as a delivery executive with a private food delivery service in Delhi.
The car involved in the accident bears a Delhi registration number and is registered in the name of a Dabri resident, police said.
"The body has been preserved in a mortuary and efforts are underway to apprehend the absconding driver," a senior police officer said.
A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and an investigation is underway to ascertain the exact sequence of events leading to the accident, police said.
