Wrestlers plan to immerse medals in Ganga shameful for country: Punjab Chief Minister

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday said it was shameful for the country that wrestlers had to go to Haridwar to immerse their medals in the Ganga in protest against the Union government -- a move that was later called off.Mann tweeted this before the wrestlers called off their move after being persuaded by khaps and farmer outfits to not go ahead.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday said it was shameful for the country that wrestlers had to go to Haridwar to immerse their medals in the Ganga in protest against the Union government -- a move that was later called off.

Mann tweeted this before the wrestlers called off their move after being persuaded by khaps and farmer outfits to not go ahead. BKU leader Naresh Tikait along with scores of his followers and khap leaders reached Haridwar as the word about wrestlers' deciding to sacrifice their medals went around. Mann in his tweet said the grapplers were moved to take the decision after being faced with the central government's unbudging stance on their demand for action against Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

Singh, a BJP MP, has been accused by the wrestlers of sexually harassing several female players.

''After being fed up with the Central government, the international medal winning wrestlers going to Haridwar to immerse their medals in Ganga is very shameful for the country,'' Mann said in his tweet. He said if a collective voice is not raised in time ''next we will be immersing the ashes of the country's democracy.'' Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, and Bajrang Punia, all of them country's top wrestlers, along with hundreds of their supporters, deciding to immerse their medals in Ganga had reached Har ki Pauri earlier in the day.