Bajrang Punia Says Wrestlers Have Been Asked Not To Talk About Meeting With Amit Shah: Report

Bajrang Punia said that they asked the Home Minister why Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was not yet arrested and whether he was in fact "being shielded".

Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Sangita Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia speak with the media during their protest against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

Source : PTI

New Delhi: Bajrang Punia, one of the top grapplers leading the protest against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh said they were asked by the government not to talk about their late-night meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday.

In an interview with NDTV, Punia said their protest hasn’t died down and they are discussing ways to take it forward.

Punia also refuted the claims that the wrestlers who met the Union Minister had struck a deal and there would be no further protests, and added the government had asked them not to discuss the meeting, however, the information was leaked.

According to the report, apart from Punia, Sakshi Malik, Sangita Phogat and Satyawart Kadian were present in the discussions with the minister.

Punia said that they asked the Home Minister why Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was not yet arrested and whether he was in fact "being shielded". "He (Mr Shah) assured us that they were discussing it and will definitely take action," NDTV quoted Punia as saying. He also said that the wrestlers won't withdraw based on just assurances. "We had gone back in January based on the government's assurances, but were later declared liars," he said.

Meanwhile, farmers' Body Bhartiya Kisan Union called off its June 9 protest after the wrestlers met the Union Minister.

The Delhi Police has recorded statements of associates and workers of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh at his home in Uttar Pradesh's Gonda in connection with the charges of sexual harassment against him by wrestlers. They also said the girl whose statement was the basis of a case being registered against Singh under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has recorded a fresh statement under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) section 164.

The officials said police are collecting evidence in connection with the case filed against the BJP MP, and will submit a report in court accordingly.