Vinesh Phogat questions silence of top cricketers, other athletes over wrestlers' protest
New Delhi: World Championship medalist Vinesh Phogat expressed her disappointment at the silence of top cricketers and other athletes over the ongoing Wrestlers’ protest against WFI chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over sexual harassment charges.
According to Indian Express, Vinesh on Wednesday spoke to them in an interview expressing her pain at the cricketers and other athletes being silent on the issue.
“The entire country worships cricket but not even a single cricketer has spoken up. We aren’t saying that you speak in our favour, but at least put up a neutral message and say there should be justice for whichever party. This is what pains me… Be it cricketers, badminton players, athletics, boxing…,” she said.
Bringing up the example of the ‘Black lives matter’ movement in the US where she saw all the athletes across the world including Indian athletes supported the movement to fight against racism and discrimination.
“It’s not like we don’t have big athletes in our country. There are cricketers… During the Black Lives Matter movement in the US, they showed their support. Don’t we deserve even that much,” she asked.
“You do come forward to congratulate us when we win something. Even the cricketers tweet when that happens. Abhi kya ho gaya? (What has happened now?) Are you so afraid of the system? Or maybe there’s something fishy going on there too? (Unke daal mein bhi kaala hai, yeh maan ke chale hum?),” she said.
The leading athletes should take the responsibility of cleaning up the system for the benefit of the next generations. the “entire system will collapse if all the athletes sit here in protest” and those running it “won’t be able to sleep peacefully,” the two-time World Championship medallist said.
“But if the big athletes remain silent, then what’s the point of anything at all? Every sports federation has a problem and many athletes are my friends as well. But there should be no pretensions. I go for their matches, they come for mine, we get a photo clicked together, congratulate each other upon winning a medal, put up nice messages like ‘onwards and upwards’… Athletes need to get out of the social media bubble and express real-world emotions. They should look beyond their personal gains and ask their conscience,” she added.
She said that the athletes should not congratulate them when they win a medal in the future if they don't have the courage to make themselves heard now.
The wrestlers have received little support from the sporting fraternity. Former India cricket captain Kapil Dev posted a picture of the three wrestlers on Tuesday with the caption; “Will they ever get justice?”
Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra and other Olympians Jwala Gutta and Shiva Keshavan have extended their support.
India’s top wrestlers have been protesting against Brij Bhushan, seeking FIR against him, accusing him of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. Seven female wrestlers, including a minor, have filed separate police complaints against him.
The protesting wrestlers have moved the Supreme Court stating that the Delhi police was not registering an FIR. Supreme Court took up the case.
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Excise 'scam': Kejriwal withdraws from SC plea against HC's interim stay on bail order
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal withdrew from the Supreme Court on Wednesday his plea challenging the Delhi High Court order granting an interim stay on the operation of the trial court's bail order in a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise scam.
A vacation bench of Justices Manoj Misra and SVN Bhatti, which allowed Kejriwal to withdraw his plea, was told by the AAP leader's counsel senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi that since the high court has passed a detailed order on June 25, he would like to file a substantial appeal.
Singhvi informed the bench that new developments were taking place every day and Kejriwal has now been arrested by the CBI.
"We would like to file a substantial appeal to bring on record all relevant details and challenge the June 25 order of the high court in which bail order was finally stayed," he said.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Enforcement Directorate (ED), said he has filed the reply to Kejriwal's plea which may be taken on record.
The bench recorded the submission and gave Kejriwal the liberty to file the appeal.
Earlier on Wednesday, a Delhi court allowed the CBI to formally arrest Kejriwal in connection with the alleged excise scam.
On Tuesday, the high court stayed the trial court order granting Kejriwal bail in the case and held that the lower court did not "appropriately appreciate" the material placed before it by the Enforcement Directorate.
The top court had on June 24 termed "unusual" the high court's decision to reserve the order while granting an interim stay on the operation of the trial court's order granting bail to Kejriwal in the case.
The AAP leader was arrested on March 21 by the ED and granted regular bail by the trial court on June 20.
In its bail order, the trial court had held that prima facie, Kejriwal's guilt was yet to be established and that the ED had failed to furnish direct evidence linking him to the proceeds of crime in the money laundering case.
The excise policy was scrapped in 2022 after the Delhi lieutenant governor ordered a CBI probe into alleged irregularities and corruption involving its formulation and execution.
According to the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), irregularities were committed while modifying the policy and undue favours were extended to the licence holders.
