Wrestlers' Protest: Upto Rs 1.8 Lakh is Expensed Daily to Run Movement, Says Report

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Bajrang Punia and other elite wrestlers have resorted to crowdfunding to continue the wrestlers' protest against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in New Delhi as their funds have started to dry up with Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 1.8 lakh expensed every day, reported Times of India.

Bajrang, Vinesh, and Sakshi Malik, the three faces of the wrestlers' protest, have started multiple crowdfunding campaigns four days ago to keep the movement going. They have collected Rs 6 lakh in cash so far as digital transaction is avoided due to fear of online fraud. The wrestlers also gave a breakup of their expenses.

"We spend anywhere between Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 1.8 lakh daily. We cater to 800-1,000 supporters daily and accordingly plan for their water and food requirements," a wrestler told the daily in its report published on Friday.

"We spend around Rs 90,000 on water bottles and Rs 60,000 on preparing food three times a day cooked in desi ghee - for our supporters, apart from other miscellaneous expenses. We only use packaged drinking water and hygienically-cooked home food to avoid any chances of stomach infection."

As far as the food for the protesting wrestlers and coaches are concerned (up to 8-10 people), they are provided with home-cooked food from Vinesh's husband Somvir Rathee's family in Delhi.

The crowdfunding is done at the protest site itself with a senior Indian wrestling coach tasked with collecting the cash on behalf of the wrestlers. The coach maintains the records of daily collection in a diary.

The contribution is mostly done by people who reach the spot to help the movement, including individuals, Khap leaders, farmer unions, students, and members from nearby akhadas in Delhi, Haryana, and UP. Some of the individuals have donated amount as high as Rs 51,000.

Earlier at the beginning of the movement on April 23, Bajrang, Vinesh, and Sakshi contributed Rs 3 lakh each to start the protest. They were also provided further financial assistance of Rs 15 lakh by fellow wrestlers, coaches, referees, and akhadas, who came to support them.