Wrestlers Protest: India’s 1983 Cricket World Cup Winning Team Extend Support to Wrestlers

NEW DELHI: Members of the 1983 World Cup-winning cricket team on Friday advised the elite athletes not to make a hasty choice and hoped their complaints would be heard and addressed out of concern that the protesting wrestlers could take the extreme step of dipping their medals into the sacred river Ganga.

1983 Cricket World Cup winning team issued a statement on wrestlers' protest and said, “The unsightly images of our champion wrestlers being mistreated distress and disturb us. We are also really concerned that they may be considering throwing away their well-earned medals in the Ganges. These medals are not only their pride and joy, but also the pride of the country. They required years of work, sacrifice, tenacity, and commitment. We strongly advise against making a hasty decision in this case, and we also truly hope that their complaints will be acknowledged and immediately addressed. Let the rule of law take precedence.”

After attempting to march to the new Parliament building last week to seek the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, whom they had accused of alleged sexual harassment, several wrestlers were jailed and their protest camp at Jantar Mantar was cleared.

Top athletes and leaders of the Opposition expressed outrage after seeing images of the wrestlers being dragged into buses and transported there.

Olympic medalists Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and World Championships medalist Vinesh Phogat arrived in Haridwar on Tuesday to immerse their medals in the Ganga. They were persuaded not to do so by Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Naresh Tikait, who also requested five days to find a solution to their concerns.

The historic cricket world cup final, played at the Lord's on June 25, 1983, included Sunil Gavaskar, Mohinder Amarnath, K Srikanth, Syed Kirmani, Yashpal Sharma, Madan Lal, Balwinder Singh Sandhu, Sandeep Patil, Kirti Azad, and Roger Binny.

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