Delhi Police Caught In Midnight Scuffle With Wrestlers At Jantar Mantar; Vinesh, Bajrang Suffer Injuries | Top Points
New Delhi: A scuffle broke out between the wrestlers staging a protest at Jantar Mantar and some police personnel late on Wednesday night, leading to head injuries to a couple of protesters. In a video being circulated on social media platforms, some of the protesters can be heard accusing a police personnel of attacking two wrestlers under the influence of alcohol. The accused policeman is seen sitting in the video, while the protesters allege that his colleagues were mute spectators.
According to Deputy Commissioner Police (New Delhi) Pranav Tayal, MLA Somnath Bharti came to the protest site with folding beds without permission. On being asked about the beds, his supporters became aggressive and tried to get the beds from a truck. Subsequently, a minor altercation took place following which Bharti, along with two others, was detained, the officer added.
WATCH Ruckus between protesting wrestlers and Delhi Police at Jantar Mantar
VIDEO | Ruckus between protesting wrestlers and Delhi Police at Jantar Mantar. More details are awaited. pic.twitter.com/AIS5zgH4My
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 3, 2023
Another senior police officer said, “There were a few men who tried bringing cots to the protest site. When the policemen deployed at the spot asked them about the cots, they got aggressive and the protesters joined them. They wrongfully restrained a policeman and accused him of being drunk, which was not the case. Police personnel are at the site and the situation is now under control. No protester was beaten up.”
Wrestlers alleged that the police hurled abuses, mangandled them
Former wrestler Rajveer told PTI, “The mattresses got wet due to rain, so we were bringing folding beds for sleeping, but the police did not allow that. Drunk policeman Dharemendra abused Vinesh Phogat and got involved in a scuffle with us.”
“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.
“I was abused and pushed around by policemen. Where are the women police personnel?” asked Phogat.
VIDEO | “The area is filled with water and there was no place to sleep, so we thought of bringing the cots…,” says wrestler Vinesh Phogat. pic.twitter.com/TWmqxdImlR
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 3, 2023
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.
“Delhi Police ki gundagardi ab nahi chalegi (Delhi Police’s high-handedness will not work anymore). We will call farmers to assemble here in numbers. We will not tolerate it anymore. Tractors or trolleys. whatever you get, just come here,” he said.
Wrestlers Write to Home Ministry Demanding Action Against Cops
The wrestlers protesting here at Jantar Mantar have written to Union Home Ministry seeking an strict action against officials responsible for the alleged manhandling of grapplers at the protest site on Wednesday night.
In the letter, they also sought permission to bring waterproof tents, beds, gym instruments, wrestling mats and sound system at the protest.
“We, Olympians and international wrestlers, have been peacefully protesting for the past 11 days regarding our demands at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. At around 11:00 p.m., we were arranging amenities for our night stay when ACP Dharmendra of the Delhi Police attacked us with nearly 100 police personnel. In the attack, Dushyant Phogat and Rahul Yadav suffered head injuries,” read the letter.
Wrestlers alleged that the ACP hurled abuses at olympian Vinesh Phogat while Sakshi Malik and Sangeeta Phogat was mangandled by the police.
Heavy security deployed at Jantar Mantar
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police on Thursday morning made a heavy deployment of security personnel at Jantar Mantar where the scuffle broke out. Multiple layers of barricades have been put up around the protest site and no one is being allowed in.
Wrestlers Protest
The wrestlers have been staging a sit-in at Jantar Mantar since April 23. They have levelled allegations of sexual harassment against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is also a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Uttar Pradesh. The protesters have been demanding criminal action against Singh for the alleged sexual harassment and intimidation of seven female wrestlers, one of whom is a minor.
The Delhi Police filed two FIRs against the WFI president on Friday on the allegations of sexual harassment levelled against him by the wrestlers.