Protest not over yet, will return to Jantar Mantar: Sakshi Malik after police crackdown

NEW DELHI,MAY 28 : Hours after wrestlers were detained by Delhi Police on their way to the new Parliament building during the ‘Mahila Maha Panchayat’ on Sunday, top grappler Sakshi Malik said the wrestlers’ protest was not over yet and that they would return to Jantar Mantar as soon as Delhi Police releases them.

She was one of the wrestlers who were detained, including Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, and others. Taking to Twitter, she wrote, “Our protest is not over. We are released from police custody, and will start our Satyagraha back at Jantar Mantar. In this country, there will be Satyagraha of women wrestlers, not dictatorship.”

After being detained by the police, they were made to hop on a bus, and were shifted to a temporary jail built at a private farm house in Burari. Later, Delhi Police removed the cots, mattresses, coolers, fans and other belongings of the grapplers from the protest site at Jantar Mantar. The grapplers were later taken for a medical examination at around 5:30 pm.

Wrestlers detained, protest site cleared as cops crack down on march to new Parliament

Besides, Superintendent of Police (Ambala) Jashandeep Singh said no permission was given to hold the ‘Mahila Maha Panchayat’ in Delhi. In order to prevent any untoward incident, police personnel were deployed in Sonipat, Jhajjar, Jind, Kurukshetra, Ambala, Sirsa and Gurugram districts and all vehicles entering Haryana were being thoroughly checked.

Meanwhile, several videos showed police personnel manhandling the wrestlers. Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal wrote to Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora, demanding the arrest of WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. She also sought the release of grapplers, and action on the officers who detained them.

Several opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Mamata Banerjee, Mallikarjun Kharge, Jairam Ramesh, and Arvind Kejriwal, also came forward in support of the wrestlers, and condemned the incident.

During the protest today, some barricades were broken and police claimed the wrestlers breached the security cordon while trying to move towards the new Parliament building.

Wrestlers have been protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar against Brij Bhushan, alleging he sexually harassed women grapplers, including a minor. So far, two FIRs have been lodged against Brij Bhushan, and he has been booked under the POCSO act.

-PTI