Sorham: More than 60 khaps from Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh Thursday announced that they are ready to launch a protest akin to the 2020-21 farmers’ agitation to “ensure justice” for wrestlers protesting against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and will carry out nationwide demonstrations for their cause.
The announcement was made after a mahapanchayat held in Sorham village of Muzaffarnagar, UP, which was attended by more than 1,000 participants.
Most of the decisions taken at the mahapanchayat were not publicly announced, with the farmer leaders saying they will be made public at a bigger panchayat scheduled to be held at Kurukshetra Friday.
The Kurukshetra mahapanchayat will be attended by heads of all khaps in northern India, the organisers announced from the stage.
All farmer leader Rakesh Tikait announced Thursday was that farmers will request a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu and request her intervention.
“We thank the wrestlers for protesting for 35 days at Jantar Mantar,” said Tikait. “But it is not their job alone to protest. That we will do. We will put up a fight for the dignity of our sisters and daughters,” he added.
Tikait said he had visited Ayodhya — the site of an upcoming “Jan Chetna Maharally” by Brij Bhushan — and “all saints and seers have expressed their support to the wrestlers’ cause”.
On 5 June, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is going to lead a march in Ayodhya, which has been backed by seers. They’re demanding an amendment to the POCSO Act.
Sorham is a historic village for the khaps. It is here that Mahendra Singh Tikait — the late former chief of the Bharatiya Kisan Union — was chosen as their leader. In fiery speeches, representatives of various khaps expressed just that, and tried to appeal to their supporters by way of invoking the farmers’ protest.
“Hundreds of us (sic) died in that protest, but it went on,” said a khap leader in his speech. “We have to get ready for the same kind of fight again. We have to fight the discrimination of the government. Why are the rules different for their men and for the rest of the country?”
Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) MLA Rajpal Singh Baliyan was also at the protest, and extended support to the farmers. “The government is testing us again. I hope the way you won the previous (farmers’) protest, you will be willing to protest the same way and win again,” he said.
The protesting wrestlers didn’t come to the mahapanchayat, and it’s not clear where they currently are. When ThePrint spoke to a team member, he said they’re still in Haridwar, ready to immerse their medals in the Ganga “if they don’t see proper action in the next couple of days”.
Following the police crackdown on the wrestlers’ protest on 28 May, the protesters said they would drown their medals in the Ganga.
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‘Won’t let wrestlers drown medals’
In speeches, khap leaders expressed anger that the wrestlers had been “forced to a point where they had decided to drown their medals”, and said they were prepared to stage another agitation, even if it “lasts as long as the farmers protest”.
“If your blood doesn’t boil today, it’s water!” a khap leader declared from the stage.
Protesters said they were ready to fight for their “daughters”. “Look at this government. It doesn’t listen to its people,” a protester said. “So, we farmers have to step up. We’ll fight for as long as necessary for our daughters.”
Speaking to ThePrint, farmer leader Naresh Tikait said that, come what may, he won’t let the protesting wrestlers immerse their medals in the Ganga.
“I won’t let them throw their medals in the Ganga, where ashes of people flow. It’s not right. We will take necessary steps in the next five days that will reassure the wrestlers,” he said.
Speaking to the media, Rakesh Tikait announced that the wrestlers are “very upset” with what happened on 28 May, when the Delhi Police cracked down on the protesters as they marched towards the new Parliament.
Brij Bhushan, also a BJP MP, has been booked by Delhi Police in 2 cases, including one where he is accused of sexually harassing a minor. He has denied all charges.
(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)
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