BCCI president Roger Binny on wrestlers protest: Which statement to believe?

On Friday afternoon, India’s 1983 World Cup winning team issued a statement in support of the protesting wrestlers. In the joint statement, the Kapil Dev-led team said they were ‘distressed’ and ‘disturbed’ by the scenes of the past week.

“We are distressed and disturbed at the unseemly visuals of our champion wrestlers being manhandled. We are also most concerned that they are thinking of dumping their hard earned medals into river Ganga. Those medals have involved years of effort, sacrifice, determination, and grit and are not only their own but the nation’s pride and joy,” said the statement.

We urge them not to take any hasty decision in this matter and also fervently hope that their grievances are heard and resolved quickly. Let the law of the land prevail,” it added.

The statement had come in a week where wrestlers, seeking criminal action against outgoing Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for sexual harassment and intimidation, were detained and released after being booked. Two days later, they decided to immerse their Olympic and Asian Games medals into the Ganga river but decided to give the government five more days to act.

By evening of Friday, BCCI president Roger Binny, also part of the 1983 World Cup winning side, distanced himself from the statement. “Contrary to some media reports, I would like to clarify that I have not issued any statement regarding the current situation of the wrestlers’ protest. I believe that the competent authorities are working on to resolve the issue. As a former cricketer, I believe that sports should not be mixed with politics,” the BCCI president clarified to news agency PTI.

Skipper Kapil Dev said, “I am not going to say anything individually, the whole of 1983 team stands by the statement we have issued.”

However, curiously, Binny told Hindustan Times, “The idea to draft a public statement came from (Sunil) Gavaskar and Kapil on our Whatsapp group which is our common forum to stay connected. The proposal had complete support from the rest of us.”

“Wrestlers have done so much for the country. They deserve respect. We feel this issue should be resolved swiftly. Both parties should come together and resolve it amicably,” Roger Binny added as per Hindustan Times.

Madan Lal, also quoted in the story, lamented the treatment meted out to the wrestlers where they were dragged on the streets at Jantar Mantar.

Despite the protest continuing to hog the headlines for over a month, none of the current cricketers have commented on it. Former cricketers, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag, Irfan Pathan, Robin Uthappa and Anil Kumble are some who have asked for better handling of the situation.

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