Farmers protest: Athletes march towards Rashtrapati Bhawan to return awards, halted midway

The athletes, who reached Delhi on Sunday, began their march from the Press Club of India but were halted near Krishi Bhavan by the police and sent back

Sportspersons, led by Arjuna awardee wrestler Kartar Singh, on Monday marched towards the Rashtrapati Bhawan to return their state honours, protesting the government’s "draconian" farm sector laws.

The sportspersons, carrying 35 trophies, medallions and maces, of which at least five were Arjuna Award trophies, were stopped by the Delhi Police and were sent back.

Accompanying wrestler Kartar Singh was hockey player Gurmail Singh, who was part of the Olympic gold-winning team and a Dhyanchand awardee, women’s hockey player and Arjuna awardee Rajbir Kaur, kabaddi player Hardeep Singh and weightlifter Tara Singh were among others.

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"We are 21 sportspersons today. A few more have expressed their desire to join us, but couldn’t as they are out of the country,” Kartar Singh, who received the Arjuna award in 1982 and Padma Shri in 1987, told reporters outside the Press Club of India.

"The farmers have always supported us. We felt bad when we saw that our farmer brothers were lathi-charged, roads were closed. Farmers are sitting on streets in the bitter cold for their rights,” said Kartar Singh said, who retired as Inspector General of Police in Punjab.

The sportsperson had reached the national capital on Sunday and visited the farmers protesting at the Singhu border in north Delhi.

"I would like to request the government to repeal the draconian law. Why is the government forcibly trying to push the farmers into accepting the contentious reforms," Kartar Singh said.

Earlier, Khel Ratna awardee and India's first Olympic medal-winning boxer Vijender Singh had threatened to return the honour in support of the protesting farmers.

Thousands of farmers from Punjab and Haryana are camping at various Delhi border points for over a week, protesting against the new farm laws, which they claim will dismantle the minimum support price system, leaving them at the "mercy" of big corporate houses.