Vidyut Jammwal on wrestlers’ protest: ‘First they are citizens of this country, should be given required help’

Actor Vidyut Jammwal, who is gearing up for the release of his upcoming movie IB71, spoke about the ongoing wrestlers’ protest in Delhi. During a media interaction on Friday, the actor said that even though people were hearing the wrestlers’ concerns, nobody was doing anything about it. Also read: Gauahar Khan tweets video of wrestler Vinesh Phogat crying

Some of India’s top wrestlers, including Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat, have been on a public protest over alleged sexual harassment by Wrestling Federation India chief Brijbhushan Sharan Singh. Recently, a scuffle broke out between the protesting wrestlers and Delhi Police at Jantar Mantar in the national capital. Following this, many celebs including Gauahar Khan and Swara Bhasker tweeted in support of the wrestlers and demanded justice for them. Now, Vidyut has also weighed in on the issue.

Vidyut said in Hindi at a media interaction, “This is an important question. They are our athletes and troubled, but first, they are the citizens of the country. They should be given the required help. I think the authorities are listening to them, but what next? What are they doing about their concerns? I am an athlete and I have a feeling if they would listen to them and things will change now. They’ll do what’s right.”

On Wednesday, an argument between some wrestlers and policemen turned violent in which two wrestlers suffered injuries, as per reports. Vinesh Phogat also accused a Delhi Police personnel of using derogatory language against her. Recently, sharing a video of Vinesh and her fellow wrestlers from the protest site on Twitter, actor Gauahar Khan had urged people to ‘listen to their plight’.

She had tweeted, “If this doesn’t break your heart, then you are probably a non-living thing. These athletes have brought India pride on international levels and they are being manhandled, sad!!!!! They are fighting for justice, please listen to their plight!” She added the hashtags ‘Indian wrestlers’ and ‘pride’ to her tweet.

Last month, actors Swara Bhasker and Sonu Sood had also tweeted in support of wrestlers protesting against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over sexual harassment allegations. Actor-filmmaker Pooja Bhatt also came out in support of the protesting wrestlers, and had slammed Indian Olympic Association (IOA) chief PT Usha for criticising them. Vidyut is the latest celebrity to speak on the public protest.

In his next, Vidyut plays an Indian Air Force officer, who plans to block the airspace to prevent an attack on India by Pakistan and China. IB71 is set to be released in theatres on May 12. The espionage thriller is directed by filmmaker Sankalp Reddy. The film also features Anupam Kher and Vishal Jethwa in prominent roles.