Delhi’s Jantar Mantar Turned Into Fortress Amid Wrestlers Call To Farmers
The Delhi Police on Thursday turned Jantar Mantar, the site of protest by wrestlers, into a fortress with heavy security deployment hours after a scuffle broke out between the protesting grapplers and some police personnel.
Multiple layers of barricades have been put up around the protest site and no one is being allowed in, reported PTI. It comes after wrestlers gave a call to the citizens, particularly to farmers and their leaders, to assemble at the protest site after the late-night drama. The scuffle broke out after some protesters tried to bring in folding cots, leading to head injuries to a couple of them.
Here is the latest update on the wrestlers’ protest:
Some of India’s top wrestlers, including Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik, are staging a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar demanding action against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over sexual harassment allegations.
As rain lashed the national capital on Wednesday, wrestlers wanted to bring in folding cots for sleeping at the protest site during the night. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Somnath Bharti brought folding cots in a truck to fulfil their request.
Pranav Tayal, DCP, New Delhi, said a group of protesters, led by Somnath Bharti, tried to break the barricades and police stopped them.
In a video doing rounds on social media, some of the protesters can be heard accusing a policeman of attacking two wrestlers under the influence of alcohol. The protesting wrestlers have alleged that they were manhandled by the police personnel.
Former wrestler Rajveer said the mattresses got wet due to rain so they were bringing folding beds for sleeping, but the police did not allow that. He alleged that drunk policeman Dharmendra abused Vinesh Phogat and got involved in a scuffle with the protesters.
“They started hitting us. Bajrang Punia’s brother-in-law Dushyant and Rahul suffered head injuries. The police did not even let doctors reach the site. Even the women constables were misbehaving with us,” he said.
Punia’s wife Sangeeta also claimed that she was pushed around by policemen.
Punia has called for farmers and their leaders to assemble at the protest site on Thursday morning, saying “Delhi Police ki gundagardi ab nahi chalegi (Delhi Police’s high-handedness will not work anymore).”
Tagging a video of Olympics bronze medallist Sakshi Malik breaking down and her colleague Vinesh Phogat consoling her, the Congress said in a tweet in Hindi, “These are the daughters of our country, safeguarded the country’s honour and won us many medals. Today the police of Home Minister Amit Shah are misbehaving with them.”
The Supreme Court will today hear the plea of seven women wrestlers against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in a sexual assault case.