Tovino Thomas, Aparna Balamurali lead Malayalam film fraternity’s voice in support of protesting wrestlers

Also Read: Stalin leads charge for protesting wrestlers manhandled near Parliament

Strong protest 

In his Instagram post, the young actor said, “They are the ones who have raised our reputation in the international sports stages, who have given the colour of victory to the entire hopes of a nation! Don’t want those considerations, but they shouldn’t get the justice they deserve for any common man of our country, they shouldn’t be pushed down because the opposition is strong.”

He further said, “They should be heard & their demands should be considered. Keep aside their achievements and accolades, but there is a justice that every citizen of this nation deserves and that justice should not be delayed, never be denied!”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Tovino⚡️Thomas (@tovinothomas)

Also Read: Bengaluru sportspersons, writers, others rise in solidarity with wrestlers

Female voices

Along with Thomas, director Anjali Menon and south Indian actor Aparna Balamurali also expressed their concern over the treatment of top women wrestlers in the country. 

Anjali stated that it was heartbreaking to see the top wrestlers being subjected to humiliation. She also shared pictures of the wrestlers being dragged away from the premises of the newly-inaugurated Parliament.

“The measure of a society lies in how it treats its women. It is heartbreaking to see the country’s top wrestlers being subjected to such humiliation. Each of these women has attained glory after great struggle and deserves the justice they seek.” Anjali said on Instagram.

“Great to see Olympic Gold winner Abhinav Bindra stand by them and say – ‘It’s high time we establish independent safeguarding measures across sporting organisations. We must ensure that if such situations arise, they are dealt with utmost sensitivity and respect. Every athlete deserves a safe and empowering environment.’ Hope it inspires the many sporting heroes we have worshipped as a country, to come forward and use their privilege to help their cause,” she further wrote.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Anjali Menon (@anjalimenonfilms)

Also read: Protesting wrestlers return without immersing medals in the Ganga

National-award-winning actor Aparna Balamurali also raised her voice against the Ill-treatment of the women wrestlers. In her Instagram story, she wrote that it was heartbreaking to see the manner in which the “champions” were being treated. 

The latest Malayali celebrity to speak up on the issue is Shane Nigam. In a Facebook post, the young actor wrote about how the wrestlers have made India proud with their success. He also lashed out at the authorities who are against the wrestlers.

Cause for protest

The wrestlers have been protesting for over a month now. They had first protested in January, but called it off after Brij Bhushan was stripped of his administrative powers by the sports ministry, and the government promised to investigate their complaints.

But they restarted their protests in April, calling for his arrest, when no action was taken against him.

Brij Bhushan’s presence as a guest at the inauguration of the new Parliament came as a blow to the wrestlers who have been waiting for action to be taken by the ruling party.

Also Read: PT Usha visits wrestlers protesting at Jantar Mantar