Wrestlers' Protest: 'Mahapanchayat in Muzaffarnagar on June 1,' announces famers' leader Naresh Tikait

Add as a preferred source on Google

Farmers' leader Naresh Tikait on Wednesday announced 'Mahapanchayat' in Muzaffarnagar's Soram village amid ongoing wrestlers' protest against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over sexual harassment charges. Tikait, the head of Balyan khap and Bharatiya Kisan Union, said that the matter will be discussed in detail in the Mahapanchayat.

On a drama-filled Tuesday, some of India's best wrestlers accompanied by hundreds of supporters gathered on the banks of the Ganga in Haridwar, threatening to immerse their World and Olympic medals in the holy river but were talked out of it by Khap and farmer leaders who sought five days to address their grievances.

Olympic medallists Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia and Asian Games gold medallist Vinesh Phogat went to Har ki Pauri on Tuesday to protest the inaction against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief who has allegedly sexually harassed several women grapplers.

However, after spending an hour and 45 minutes, they returned after several khap and political leaders urged them not to take such an extreme step. Tikait said several representatives of different khaps and their heads hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab Rajasthan and Delhi will be participating in the mahapanchayat to decide the next course of action in the wrestlers protest.

On May 28, the Delhi Police had detained the wrestlers and filed FIRs against them for violation of law and order.