Farmers’ protest: 30 medal-winners back farmers, ready to return their awards

The group now plans to write to President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday to seek an appointment.

For the last two days, former Indian basketball player and Arjuna award winner, Sajja Singh Cheema, has been contacting fellow Arjuna and Padma award winning sportspersons in Punjab to make them rally in support of protesting farmers and return their awards to the President.

Cheema has got the support of more than 30 former Olympic and continental medal winners, including Gurmail Singh and Surinder Singh Sodhi — members of 1980 Moscow Olympic gold medal winning Indian hockey team. The group now plans to write to President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday to seek an appointment.

“I and my three brothers, Balkar Singh Cheema, Kuldeep Singh Cheema and Gurmeet Singh Cheema, have represented India in basketball and all of us could achieve national and international glory due to the efforts of our father Surjit Singh, who owned 20 acres of land in village Dabulian near Kapurthala. A farmer provides food not only the country, but also to players and we all are with them in this fight. The laws reek of something bad for the farmers,” said 63-year-old Cheema, who spoke to The Indian Express from the private ward of a Jalandhar hospital.

“I had suffered from Covid-19 last month… I have just come out of ICU and I hope that I will recover in time to join all the players in returning the awards… so far, more than 30 players have joined our initiative..”

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