India's 1983 ICC World Cup winnings team has thrown their support for the ongoing wrestlers' protest and has urged them not to take any hasty decisions. Members of the World Cup-winning team, including captain Kapil Dev and legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar, released a statement on Friday, May 2, to show concern regarding the treatment of the wrestlers.
Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and Vinesh Phogat are leading the wrestlers' protest, who are demanding the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) head Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The protesters threatened to immerse their winning medals into Ganga as they took the protest to Haridwar on May 30.
Delhi Police detained the wrestlers for violation of law and order for marching towards the new Parliament building without permission on May 28. Police cleared the protest site and made it clear that the wrestlers will not be allowed back at Jantar Mantar. The visuals of police manhandling the protesters shocked many and now the World Cup-winning Indian cricket team has come out to show their concern.
"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," a statement released to PTI by the 1983 World Cup winning team read.
"Those medals have involved years of effort, sacrifice, determination, and grit and are not only their own but the nation's pride and joy. 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," the statement read further.
India won their first-ever ICC World Cup against all the odds under the leadership of Kapil Dev in 1983. The Indian team beat the mighty West Indies at London's Lord's to kick off India's dominance in world cricket. The legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar and the current BCCI president Roger Binny were part of the Indian team that beat the Caribbean side in the final on June 25, 1983.
