Protesting wrestlers alleged that the victims are being pressurised to change their statements.
The demand for imposing a ban on Sangh Parivar outfits Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishas on Monday gained momentum with the Congress saying these organisations were a "suitable case" for such action. "Bajrang Dal is a suitable case for ban... Also the VHP," Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan said in Delhi.
Normal life was paralysed in Assam during a 12-hour-long state-wide bandh led by the Bajrang Dal and supported by the Bharatiya Janata Party, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and several other organisations demanding action against the All India United Democratic Front and its leader Badaruddin Ajmal for alleged links with 'jihadi forces in Bangladesh'.
IOA ad-hoc committee panel members Ashok Garg and Gian Singh favoured a two-stage trial to pick the Indian wrestling squad for the Asian Games and did not recommend exemption to any wrestler, it has come to light.
"The findings of National Commission for Minorities and National Women's Commission on communal violence in Karnataka have established the diabolical role of Bajrang Dal. Dal leaders have openly claimed responsibility for attacks on Christians in Orissa and Karnataka," Paswan said accusing it of espousing a divisive agenda.
Bajrang Punia along with the protesting wrestlers are stepping up their efforts to gather support in their fight against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan.
Vinesh Phogat returned her Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award to the government protesting against the election of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh-loyalist Sanjay Singh.
Bajrang Dal Karnataka unit convener Mahendra Kumar was arrested in Mangalore on Friday night.He has been held under Sections 153 A and 120 B. The police have taken suo motu congnisance in this case. The Bajrang Dal has been allegedly responsible for the wave of violence that rocked Mangalore recently. Kumar has been in the news for speaking out against forcible conversions.
The two wrestlers, who have accused Sharan Singh of sexually harassing women grapplers, called on the PM to intervene.
The trials for the wrestling World Championships will be held on August 25-26 in Patiala, the ad-hoc panel announced on Monday, ending weeks of uncertainty around the selection competition.
Aman Sehrawat is the first Indian male wrestler to secure berth for the Paris Olympic Games
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Frida
He further added that the people of India respect different languages, religion, food and customs which varies from region to region. "That's the India that I believe in, where everybody has a place and everybody compromises little bit," he said.
The IOA-constituted ad-hoc committee for wrestling has decided not to alter the criteria for the upcoming trials to select the team for the next month's World Championships in Belgrade.
IOA approached the Olympic Council of Asia, seeking an extension of the July 15 deadline for providing details of the country's wrestling squad for the Asian Games.
Bajrang Dal on Wednesday warned youths against celebrating Valentine's Day. "We have asked the city police commissioner not to grant any special permission for Valentine's Day celebrations. We also appeal to managements of resorts and pubs not to organise special programmes to celebrate the occasion," Bajrang Dal's city president Vinod Kumar said.
Top Indian grapplers Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Satyawart Kaidyan and Jitender Kinha all tied black bands on their forehead.
The suspension was imposed by UWW on August 23 last year after the national federation failed to hold elections in time.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Monday welcomed the suspension of the newly-elected Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), but said the Sports Ministry should have taken the decision earlier.
Hindu outfits Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad are staging protests across the national capital against the Haryana violence.
The charges under the UAPA have been imposed against Khan, the MLA from Ferozpur Jhirka, in a case registered at Nagina police station in Nuh.
The Bajrang Dal activists alleged that the behaviour of the four persons had been 'suspicious' and accused them of being cattle thieves.
Bajrangi alias Raj Kumar was arrested from Faridabad on August 15 after a fresh FIR was registered against him at Nuh's Sadar Police Sation on a complaint of Assistant Superintendent of Police Usha Kundu.
We did not ask for exemption from trials, just asked for time to prepare: Wrestlers
The screening of Shah Rukh Khan-starrer My Name is Khan was stopped in two major cities of Orissa following protest by the Bajrang Dal even as fans enjoyed the film amid tight security at other places.
At around 11 pm, a scuffle broke out at Jantar Mantar between the protesting wrestlers when they were bringing in folding beds for their night stay and the on-duty police personnel allegedly began enquiring about that.
When his attention was drawn to the statements of Biju Patnaik, Sharad Yadav and other prominent leaders who have described Bajrang Dal as a violent organization, Prasad said that there was ideological difference but BJP does not agree with that perception.
In a volteface, the Bajrang Dal has said it is not averse to Valentine's Day as long as the youths behaved decently on that occasion.
'This fight is not just theirs -- it is for all women in our country.'
When asked about the claims that the minor who was among the grapplers who had accusing WFI chief Bhushan of sexual harassment had taken back her complaint, Malik said, 'This is all fake news to discredit our protest in the eyes of the public and to make us lose public support.'
The Wrestling Federation of India, battling a sexual harassment scandal, may need to safeguard women wrestlers to get its suspension lifted
The protesting wrestlers and their supporters marched to the Hanuman Temple in New Delhi and will also visit the Bangla Sahib Gurudwara.
Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik on Thursday advised the country's wrestlers to participate in the Nationals conducted by the ad-hoc committee in Jaipur and not in the event organised by the suspended national federation.
The trials were initially planned for February 27-29 but got postponed
National Security Advisor M K Narayanan has suggested a ban on Bajrang Dal may not be sustainable and refused to term the Sangh Parivar outfit and SIMI as two sides of the same coin, leaving Railway Minister Lalu Prasad peeved and prompting the BJP to speak of another disconnect between the NSA and the government.
Members of the Bajrang Dal on Saturday celebrated the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.
The ad-hoc panel announced that it will host the senior national championships in Jaipur from February 2-5.
Activists of the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Friday threw rotten tomatoes at couples celebrating Valentine's Day on the banks of Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad.
The Indian Olympic Association on Monday dissolved the ad-hoc committee for wrestling, saying "there is no further need" for it to continue after revocation of the suspension on the national federation, which now gets complete administrative control of the sport.
The committee also picked 19 sportspersons for the Arjuna Award, including the likes of cricketers Ravindra Jadeja and Poonam Yadav, track and field stars Tejinder Pal Singh Toor, Mohammed Anas and Swapna Barman.
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