As Indian wrestlers continue to protest at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar, demanding the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Yoga guru Baba Ramdev came out in support of the protesters, saying that Singh must be "put behind bars."
Speaking to the media in Rajasthan's Bhilwara on Friday, 26 May, Ramdev said:
"The allegations of harassment against the Wrestling Federation chief by the country's wrestlers, who are sitting and protesting at Jantar Mantar, are shameful. Such a person should be arrested and put behind bars."
Ramdev, who is seen as a staunch proponent of Hindutva, also criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP for the "things he says about mothers, sisters, and daughters. This is a sin, an evil act."
Prominent wrestlers, including Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, and Bajrang Punia, have been protesting in New Delhi for over four weeks, seeking action against the WFI chief who has been accused of sexually harassing seven wrestlers, including a minor.
Meanwhile, on Friday, Singh told the media that the sexual harassment laws were "flawed" and were being "misused" against him.
"There are some flaws in the law. These laws are being misused. It is not only in my case. You could get (ask) someone from your neighbourhood who is facing these laws. The law was made with good intentions, but it is being misused by people as a weapon against the ones they have problems with of any kind," he said in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya, as per TOI.
On Tuesday, 23 May, a massive crowd gathered near New Delhi's India Gate to take part in the candlelight march organised to mark one month of the wrestlers' protest against Singh.