Wrestlers national heroes, must not get swayed by politicians: Haryana Home Minister

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij on Friday called the protesting wrestlers ''national heroes'' as he advised them against being used by opposition party leaders for their gains.

The BJP leader said the sentiments of the whole country are with the wrestlers but they ''should not get sacrificed for their (opposition's) political interests.'' A large number of wrestlers have been on protest since April demanding the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, whom they have accused of molesting several female players.

Vij, according to a statement, said, ''somewhere there is a mahapanchayat or somewhere a dharna, but the players must come out of the clutches of these opposition people quick.'' The minister said the government is ''listening'' to the players and FIRs have also been registered on their complaint, ''but the matter has got a little spoiled because they have got caught in the clutch of the opposition.'' A mahapanchayat held in Kurukshetra on Friday threatened to intensify the agitation for the arrest of Singh, who is also a BJP MP, and bring the protesting wrestlers again to Delhi's Jantar Mantar, if the government doesn't act within a week. Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait, invoking the 2020-21 farmers' protest that forced the Centre to repeal three farm laws, said farmers will take these ''children'', as he referred to the wrestlers, to Jantar Mantar on June 9.

In solidarity with the sportspersons, farmer outfits in Uttar Pradesh held a ''khap mahapanchayat'' on Thursday and protests were held in Punjab and Haryana.

Several Olympic and World Championship medal-winning wrestlers, including Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sangeeta Phogat, have been protesting for Singh's arrest.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)