Chandigarh: A day after Delhi police detained the wrestlers following a scuffle with them at Jantar Mantar, former wrestler and member of the executive committee of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Yogeshwar Dutt alleged that a political conspiracy was being hatched while hitting out at the opposition parties accusing them of misusing the wrestlers and trying to tarnish the country's image.
The wrestlers, who have been protesting against the alleged sexual harassment by Wrestling Federation of India (WRI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and demanding his arrest had been detained for 10 hours yesterday and then released. They had announced a protest march towards the new Parliament building and attempted to breach the cordon laid down by the police.
Terming the incident unfortunate and "politically motivated", Dutt said the manner in which the sportspersons came forward to protest on the day of the inauguration of the new Parliament building is very sad. At an event where the Prime Minister and other VIPs of the country are participating, if people act in this manner, then it is bound to raise questions, he said. Dutt said that during such events there are certain rules and regulations which should not be violated.
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"There is surely a political conspiracy behind the manner in which the wrestlers turned up to protest near the new Parliament building," Dutt said while accusing the opposition leaders for the incident. He said that the Opposition parties had already boycotted the inaugural programme and now they were misusing the wrestlers to tarnish the image of the country.
Responding to the manner in which the women wrestlers were handled, Dutt said that the Prime Minister's protocol has to be followed by all.
