Tokyo Olympics champion Kawai comes out in support of protesting Indian wrestlers
New Delhi, May 26: Tokyo Olympics gold medallist and three-time world champion grappler Risako Kawai of Japan has come out in support of the protesting Indian wrestlers in their fight against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Top Indian grapplers, including Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik have been protesting at the iconic Jantar Mantar here demanding the arrest of Brij Bhushan, who has been accused of sexual harassment of seven women athletes, including a minor.
"I hope it will be an environment where Indian athletes can practice with peace of mind," Kawai wrote retweeting a BBC News video on the wrestlers' protest.
Kawai, who won the 57kg women's freestyle gold in Tokyo, is the first high-profile international wrestler to come out in support of the protesting Indian wrestlers.
Both Vinesh and Bajrang are probable medallist in this year's Asian Games in Hangzhou, China but for over a month they have not been practising, demanding justice for the alleged victims.
The Delhi Police have filed two FIRs -- one related to the complaints of a minor wrestler under the Prevention of Child Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act -- against Brij Bhushan, but a concrete step is yet to taken as the investigation is still on.
インドの選手が安心して練習できる環境になりますように🙏🏻🙏🏻 https://t.co/osbc1ZDr1b
— 川井梨紗子 risako kinjo kawai (@risako_kawai) May 25, 2023
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.
Chadha, others wouldn't have left AAP had it followed 'right' path: Anna Hazare
Mumbai (PTI): Social activist Anna Hazare has said Raghav Chadha and six other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha members would not have quit the party had it followed the "right" path.
"Everyone has the right to hold an opinion in a democracy. They (Chadha and others) must have faced some trouble, which is why they left," Hazare told reporters on Friday in Ahilyanagar district of Maharashtra.
AAP Rajya Sabha members Raghav Chadha and Sandeep Pathak addressed a joint press conference in Delhi on Friday, announcing their exit from the Arvind Kejriwal-led party to join the BJP.
Chadha claimed that nearly two-thirds of AAP's Rajya Sabha members had quit the party and would function as a separate faction.
"It is their (AAP leadership’s) fault. Had that party followed the right way, they would not have left," Hazare said.
Hazare reiterated that Chadha and others must have faced difficulties within AAP, and that is why they left. "Had the party gone in the right direction, they would not have quit the party," he added.
"There must be some or the other reason (for their leaving AAP). In a democracy, every person has a view about where to stay and leave," Hazare said.
The Chadha-led exodus marks a significant setback for the Kejriwal-led party since its formation in 2012, which followed the momentum of Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement.
