NEW DELHI: The Delhi police on Sunday foiled wrestlers' plan to hold 'Mahila Samman Mahapanchayat' in front of the new Parliament building.
The 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.
Singh was accused of sexual harassment and Delhi police have registered two FIRs against him on complaints of seven women wrestlers including a minor.
Demanding immediate arrest, the wrestlers tried to march toward the new Parliament building but could not succeed. In their attempt to breach the security cordon, a few of them including Sakshi even jumped off the barricades.
However, all their attempts to dodge the police went in vain. The cops bundled them on the buses before taking them to different locations.
The Delhi Police also booked wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia along with their supporters on charges of rioting and obstructing public servants in discharge of duty. The police said 700 people were detained across Delhi, including 109 protesters at Jantar Mantar.
The police action against the wrestlers triggered massive outrage on social media with the opposition leaders and people lashing out at the union government.
Enraged over the treatment meted out to her and fellow wrestlers, Sakshi said that it was a 'sad day' for Indian Sports.
"A sexual abuser and goon, Brij Bhushan, is sitting in Parliament today and we are being dragged on the road. Sad day for Indian sports," she said and further vowed to continue their sit-in at Jantar Mantar.
Vinesh Phogat criticised the Delhi Police for filing the FIR against the protesters.
"It takes seven days for the Delhi Police to register an FIR against Brij Bhushan, who has sexually assaulted (female wrestlers), and it didn't take even seven hours to register an FIR against us for protesting peacefully. Has dictatorship started in this country? The whole world is watching how the government is treating its players. A new history is being written," the world championship medallist tweeted in Hindi.
Pertinent to mention here that BJP MP Singh attended the inauguration of the new Parliament building even as India's top wrestlers protesting against him were allegedly manhandled and detained only a couple of kilometres from the venue.
Delhi Commission for Women chairperson Swati Maliwal deplored 'manhandling' of protesting wrestlers by the Delhi police and wrote a letter to Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora demanding an immediate arrest of WFI chief Singh.
"Further, in an unprecedented move, the women wrestlers today along with their families were manhandled and forcefully detained and taken away by Delhi Police. Several videos depicting the same have been going viral on social media. The manner in which these women champions are being dragged on the streets by Delhi Police is extremely unbecoming of the force," Maliwal said in the letter.
(With additional inputs from PTI)