Protesting wrestlers dispute claims of Anurag Thakur, says minister only spent few minutes with them
Thakur had claimed he spent 12 hours with wrestlers
New Delhi: Wrestlers who have been protesting against the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, have claimed that the government has not yet addressed their concerns. Ace wrestler Bajrang Punia has accused Sports Minister Anurag Thakur of only spending a few minutes with the athletes during their meeting, despite Thakur's claims that he had heard them for 12 hours and formed a committee.
Punia further added that the wrestlers were intimidated during the meeting and that there had been no talks with Thakur in recent days. Thakur had earlier today, led a press conference and emphasized the need for an "impartial probe". He said that all athletes who wished to present their version before the oversight committee had been given a chance to do so. Thakur also stated that the timeline of the probe had been extended to 14 meetings, and every athlete was given the opportunity to present their case.
However, the protesting wrestlers disputed Thakur's claims, saying that they were not satisfied with the government's response to their grievances. They had been staging a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, demanding a probe into the selection process for the Tokyo Olympics. The wrestlers allege that the selection process was biased and that deserving athletes were overlooked.
Thakur had earlier met with the protesting wrestlers in January and formed a committee to investigate the matter. The committee included wrestler Babita Phogat, who was suggested by the protesting wrestlers. However, the wrestlers have expressed dissatisfaction with the committee's findings and have continued to demand a fair and impartial probe.
#WATCH | Delhi: "Sports Minister sat with athletes only for a few minutes...at times we were intimidated in the meeting...": Protesting Wrestlers on Union Sports Minister's reaction on their protest against WFI chief & BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh https://t.co/mg2JdkZFSL pic.twitter.com/edzFF3BGrw
— ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2023
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Tribal man brings dead sister's skeleton to bank to withdraw money from her account
Keonjhar (PTI): A tribal man in Odisha's Keonjhar district on Monday brought the skeleton of his dead sister to a bank to withdraw the money deposited in her name, police said.
The incident occurred at Maliposi branch of Odisha Grameen Bank located at Patana block of Keonjhar district. The man was identified as Jeetu Munda (50) of Dianali village. He was seeking to withdraw Rs 20,000 from the bank account of his elder sister, Kalra Munda (56), who died on January 26, 2026.
"I have run several times to the bank, and the people there told me to bring the account holder to withdraw money deposited in her name. Though I told them that she had died, they did not listen to me and insisted on bringing her to the bank. Therefore, out of frustration, I dug the grave and brought out her skeleton as proof of her death," an illiterate Jeetu Munda told reporters.
Patana Police Station Inspector in charge (IIC) Kiran Prasad Sahu, who reached the bank after getting information, said, "Jeetu is an illiterate tribal man. He does not know what the legal heir or nominee is. The bank officials have failed to make him understand the procedure to withdraw money from the dead person's account."
However, after the incident, the police assured Jeetu Munda that they would facilitate the withdrawal of money from the bank account of his dead sister. Later, the skeleton was again buried at the graveyard in presence of police.
Meanwhile, local Block Development Officer (BDO) Manas Dandpat said that he was not approached by anyone for the legal heir of late Kalra Munda. "Today only, I came to know about it. We will see what can be done to resolve the issue," the BDO said.
Meanwhile, bank sources said that the nominee in Kalra Munda's bank account was also dead. Therefore, Jeetu Munda was the lone claimant over the money deposited in her name.
The local administration has directed the bank officers to make arrangements and ensure that Jeetu Munda, who is the only claimant as per the rules, gets the money as soon as possible.
