The central executive committee of the SFI — the CPM student wing — which invited letters and emails from people for solidarity with wrestlers protesting at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, demanding the arrest of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, BJP MP and the chief of Wrestling Federation of India, has received "overwhelming response".

According to a communique from the SFI’s central leadership, "lakhs of emails and letters" came in response to the call.

These letters have been directed to the President of India and the Union sports minister demanding the arrest of the BJP MP.

Many letters have been received from across the country, including Bengal, sources in the SFI said. Eminent sports personalities from the state have participated in the campaign.

The list of sports personalities who have shown solidarity with the protesters through their letters include Arjuna Awardee Bula Chowdhury, former Indian football team captains Bhaskar Ganguly and Kuntala Ghoshdastidar, former Indian cricket selector Sambaran Banerjee, former Indian cricketer Utpal Chatterjee, former Indian footballer Tushar Rakshit, swimmer Sayani Das, the first Indian and Asian swimmer to conquer Molokai and English channels, and many others.

"We are thankful to these eminent men and women from the world of sports who have come forward to show solidarity with the protesting wrestlers. All of these sportspersons are from Bengal. Whereas our counterparts in other states have been able to gather letters from several citizens, SFI Bengal has gone a step ahead and successfully involved sports personalities,” said state SFI secretary Srijan Bhattacharya.

Ace wrestlers of India have been staging a protest in Jantar Mantar against Singh since April 23, accusing the six-time MP of sexual misconduct and demanding his arrest.

One of those who accused the MP is a minor, making one of the cases filed against him under the Pocso Act, 2012.