Prominent Tamil filmmaker and producer Pa Ranjith has extended his support to the wrestlers who are currently protesting against Brij Bhushan, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament and Chief of the Wrestlers Federation of India (WFI). Bhushan has been accused of sexual assault by multiple wrestlers, including a minor.
Ranjith expressed his solidarity with the wrestlers, stating, "The champions who proudly represented India at the world championship have been subjected to a lack of dignity and respect. It is a disgrace that the government has remained silent in response to their protest and their decision to immerse their hard-earned medals in river water."
The filmmaker's statement comes following a recent event where leading wrestlers in the country, such as Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, traveled to Haridwar to symbolically immerse their medals in the river Ganges. While they refrained from actually submerging the medals, the wrestlers issued a five-day ultimatum to the government to take action against Bhushan.
Condemnations against the manhandling of peacefully protesting #SakshiMalik and other Wrestling Olympians and World Championship at the #WrestlersProtest against sexual harassment by Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Wrestling Federation Chairman and BJP MP.
— pa.ranjith (@beemji) May 30, 2023
The champions who…
Pa Ranjith further demanded the immediate removal of Brij Bhushan from his position as the WFI chief, along with the initiation of legal proceedings against him. Several other notable figures from the film industry, including Malayalam actor Tovino Thomas, filmmaker Anjali Menon, and renowned Kannada actor Kishore also came out in support of the wrestlers.
The ongoing protest against Brij Bhushan commenced on April 23 at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, with top wrestlers from the country raising their voices against the alleged misconduct. On May 28, a group of wrestlers even marched to the newly inaugurated Parliament building, but their peaceful demonstration was met with police detention. However, Brij Bhushan attended the inauguration of the new Parliament building.