Ganga Sabha objects to immersion of medals
DEHRADUN/HARIDWAR: Wrestlers who reached the Hari-KiPauri in Haridwar to immerse their medals in the Ganga in protest against Wrestling Federation of India president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over sexual harassment allegations, were stopped by the Ganga Sabha.
Ganga Sabha president Nitin Gautam said, “It is holy Ganga area. Here, Santani people come to offer prayers. It’s not a political arena or Jantar Mantar. We won’t allow the sentiments of Hindus to be hurt at any cost. Today Hindus are celebrating Ganga Dusshera. Wrestlers are our players and are highly respected. They can offer prayers to Maa Ganga and take part in aarti. We welcome them.”
He termed the wrestlers’ plan as a political stunt.
Sakshi Malik, her husband Satyawart Kadian, Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, and his wife Sangeeta Phogat reached HarKi-Pauri on Tuesday evening, amid a huge rush of pilgrims, many of whom thronged the area to witness the proposed immersion.
Ganga Sabha president Nitin Gautam said that as the sanctum sanctorum of Brahamkund Harki-Pauri is a holy place, it would hurt the religious sentiments of Sanatan Dharma followers if medals are immersed in sacred waters. “We either sip sacred Ganga Jal, perform religious rituals with it or immerse ashes but we do not leave any objects in anger or disgust in the sacred waters”.
Sakshi Malik said, “We have been holding medals close to our hearts for years. We have trained and toiled for a long. Timely legal action against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan is all that we have been demanding. But we have been ill-treated and let down. So we have arrived today here in Haridwar to immerse our medals.”
Till the filing of the report wrestlers were sitting near CCR tower near Bhagirathi Setu opposite Brahamkund as owing to Ganga Dussehra.
Naresh Tikait, farmer leader and brother of Bharatiya Kisan Union national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait also arrived at Har-ki-Pauri to lend support to the protesting wrestlers.
“They (wrestlers) need to be practising on mats in stadiums but have been ill-treated and forced to sit at Jantar Mantar and now at Ganga Ghat. In fact action should be taken against Brij Bhushan .We are with truth and as farmers’ agitation had shown, sooner or later victory will be of truth,” said Tikait.
Earlier, Haridwar Police said they won’t stop the wrestlers from doing so and neither have they received any such instructions from the senior police officials. Haridwar senior superintendent of police Ajai Singh said, “Wrestlers are free to do anything. If they are coming to immerse their medals in holy Ganga, we won’t stop them. Neither have I received any such instructions from my senior officials.” He said people immerse gold, silver, and ashes in Ganga and wrestlers can immerse their medals if they want to.
Wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat, who have been demanding the WFI chief’s arrest, put out a joint statement saying the grapplers will go to Haridwar and immerse the medals in Ganga at 6 pm. “These medals are our lives, our souls. There would be no reason to live after throwing them in the Ganga today. So, we will stage a hunger strike until death at India Gate after that,” read the statement in Hindi.
It came days 2 days after wrestlers were detained by Delhi police when they tried to move towards new Parliament building for ‘Mahila Mahapanchayat’.
“It’s unfortunate for our democracy and field of sports as top wrestlers of our country are forced to put their hard-earned medals in Ganga. We fear if they will be allowed to do so as police forcefully removed agitating wrestlers from Jantar Mantar in Delhi,” said Satpal Brahamchari from Radhe Krishan ashram.
“We don’t have any official information as of now regarding wrestlers arriving at Haridwar to immerse their medals. Lakhs of pilgrims are in Haridwar today. We are looking into management and performance of Ganga Saptami rituals,” said Gautam.