NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police has stepped up security arrangements at the peripheries of the city and the New Delhi district ahead of the protesting wrestlers' march towards the new Parliament building that was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday morning.
According to official sources, several farmer leaders have been detained by the police from different locations. BKU Haryana chief Gurnam Singh Charuni was detained from his residence as he planned to take part in the wrestlers' protest.
"I have been detained by the CIA staff in Kurukshetra. We will shortly decide our next move. The one who stands with the law are being detained and the one who is accused of sexual harassment is roaming freely," Charuni told TNIE.
Surendra Solanki, the president of Palam Khap was detained by police and taken to Vasant Vihar police station. "Several Khap leaders have also been detained by police from borders and taken to various police stations," Solanki told TNIE over the phone.
Elite wrestler Bajrang Punia too claimed that several of their supporters have been detained by the police. "The police have completely barricaded the Jantar Mantar area and more than 2000 of our supporters have been detained, whether in Haryana or in Delhi. We appeal to the administration to release people detained by the police," Punia said while speaking to the media persons at the Jantar Mantar.
Meanwhile, there is heavy deployment of police personnel in the vicinity of the new Parliament building. Officials said that no protester will be allowed to move towards the new building as permission has not been granted to hold the Mahapanchayat.
Thousands of police personnel have been deployed and multiple layers of barricades put in place as part of the security arrangement, the officials said.
To prevent any untoward situation, police personnel have been deployed in the bordering areas, including Tikri, Ghazipur, Singhu, and Badarpur, and police are conducting checking every vehicle entering the border.
"We respect our athletes, but we will not let there be any disturbance in the inauguration (of the new parliament building)," said Dependra Pathak, Special CP, Law and Order.
Besides additional deployment of force, CCTV monitoring is being carried out continuously, the police said.
According to the traffic advisory, only public transport vehicles, civil service aspirants, bonafide residents, labelled vehicles and emergency vehicles will be allowed to move in the New Delhi area.
The Delhi traffic police urged people to plan their journey accordingly and avoid the New Delhi district from 5:30 am to 3 pm.
A police official said adequate security personnel have been deployed near the Parliament building and robust security arrangements have been made at Jantar Mantar where wrestlers and farmers have been staging a sit-in.
"We have covered the entire Jantar Mantar protest venue. It is being guarded by our security personnel. CCTV cameras installed there are being constantly monitored. Heavy barricades have been put up. For each protester, we have deployed at least five police personnel. That's how elaborate the security arrangement is at Jantar Mantar," he said.
India's top wrestlers, including Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, and double World Championships medallist Vinesh Phogat have been protesting at the Jantar Mantar since April 23 demanding the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over the allegations of sexual harassment leveled by seven women wrestlers.
As there was no arrest in the case despite two FIRs, of which one is registered on the complaint of a minor girl, the protesting wrestlers led by Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik gave a call to hold a women's panchayat outside the newly constructed Parliament building, for which farmers and members of Khap Panchayats in large numbers started entering Delhi to extend their support.