By D N Singh
Nothing can be more worrisome that in a classic example of slumber of eminence the Central government has told that it is ready to hold a talk with the protesting wrestlers at Jantar Mantar.
By that a lot of water have flowed down the drain and a lot of bad name coming the way as how a sporting fraternity in India can be side-stepped for an alleged political compulsion.
The wrestlers have been slugging in the hot summer out there under make-shift canopies, weathering a phase of police excess in recent time and also sulking under the humiliations of the alleged sexual harassment by the WFI chief Birj Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Now the union minister of sports Anurag Thakur spoke from the cozy comforts that he is ready to talk with the wrestlers. What does it signify.
A deliberate disregard for the legends of a sport which has become now a reason for a humongous shame.
‘Willing to have a discussion with the protesting wrestlers on their issue’ was the message from Thakur.
It will be interesting to see whether the protesting wreslters, including Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat, will accept the invitation or not as their recent interaction with Home Minister Amit Shah “failed to yield any result”.
The question is where was the sports ministry all those months which has not even been able to talk to its own MP and WFI chief Brij Bhushan.
Delhi police’s languor in the matter cannot be better demonstrated than the news that, on Tuesday the police team visited toBrij Bhushan’s house in UP (instead of summoning) for talks and the report is not available to the media.
Meanwhile, the official also said that the 17-year-old wrestler, on whose complaint a case under POCSO Act was registered at Delhi’s Connaught Place police station against Singh, has now recorded a fresh statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure before the magistrate in a court.
Refusing to divulge more details, the official said that as the case is very sensitive, only limited information can be shared.
So at last the sensitivity of the case has dawned upon the Delhi police now and on the Union sports minister.
