"Wait For Probe To End": Minister To Wrestlers As Protests Intensify

Anurag Thakur said, "The athletes themselves had said that the platform is not for doing politics. But later political parties came and went and shared this platform"

Union sports minister Anurag Thakur today accused the protesting wrestlers of "changing goalposts" and in the government's first comment on the issue in recent days, reiterated that they should not take any step that "hurts the sport or other athletes".

"The athletes themselves had said that the platform is not for doing politics. But later political parties came and went and shared this platform," the minister told reporters today, refering to the visits by opposition leaders to the wrestlers' protest site in Delhi's Jantar Mantar.  

Declaring he would not comment on it, the minister added, "I'll ask the athletes to wait for the conclusion of Delhi Police's investigation.  The Delhi Police has informed the Supreme Court and filed an FIR (First Information Report). Until the investigation is complete, do not take any step which will harm the sport and the players".

This was the government's first comment on the issue since the champions were manhandled by the Delhi Police on Sunday, when they tried to hold a protest near the new parliament which was inaugurated that day by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.