Trade unions come out in support of protesting wrestlers; demand fair probe

Ten central trade unions on Monday came out in support of the wrestlers' protest demanding the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a BJP MP who is facing allegations of sexual harassment.

With the protest at Jantar Mantar entering the 16th day and eliciting support from various sections, the trade unions said it wholeheartedly supports the "justified" demand of the young women wrestlers. They said the probe needs to proceed without Singh being able to influence its course.

"These young wrestlers, who brought laurels to the nation by winning medals with their hard work, were treated shabbily by creating all inconveniences for them at Dharna Sthal-Jantar Mantar. The worst of it happened on May 3 night when they were attacked by police just because they were trying to protect themselves from rains and shifting their mats and arranging to get some cots," the trade unions said.

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The unions which issued a joint under the banner of Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions are INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF and UTUC.

The statement also alleged that the police manhandled a woman journalist Sakshi Joshi, whose clothes were torn in the process. She, on getting the information of police action, had reached the spot for reporting facts from the site, it said.

"The voice raised by the wrestlers is the voice for justice to all our female folk who face harassment and are not only not heard, but are further made to face the torture and wrath of the society when the perpetrator is in a position of power. We all stand with these young fighters and urge upon our trade unions at all levels to extend support, organise solidarity actions, send their support messages to the protesters," it said.

"The voice of sanity would prevail, the victory of these fighters would be the victory of common citizens. The trade unions reiterate their demand that the Govt. immediately arrest Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and the actions on the FIRs be proceeded with as one of the FIR invokes even the POCSO Act," it added.