IN WHAT is being seen by protesting wrestlers as an attempt to bring the curtains down on their protest at Jantar Mantar, Delhi Police on Sunday detained Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia for violation of law and dismantled arrangements at the protest site.
The wrestlers were dragged, lifted off the road and put into police vans when they tried to cross security barricades and march to the new Parliament building, outside which a women’s mahapanchayat was scheduled.
To wrestlers have been protesting at Jantar Mantar since April 23 to demand the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has been accused of sexual harassment by seven women wrestlers, including a minor.
Soon after the wrestlers were whisked away from Jantar Mantar, the tarpaulin-roofed tent, their home for over a month, was pulled down by the police. “We have been instructed to remove everything connected to the wrestlers from Jantar Mantar within two-three hours,” a senior police officer said. Mattresses, bamboo poles, cartons of water bottles, folding beds and air coolers were loaded into the back of tracks. Posters in support of the wrestlers were removed.
Hundreds of people, including farm leaders who had travelled from Punjab and Haryana to support the wrestlers, were detained at the borders of Delhi. Rakesh Tikait, the national spokesperson for the Bharatiya Kisan Union, was detained at the Ghazipur border.
The streets around Jantar Mantar wore a deserted look since early morning because they were cordoned off but at the epicentre of the protests there were anxious moments as the wrestlers, determined to reach Parliament, didn’t back down as senior officers asked them to stay put at Jantar Mantar.
As the police van made its way out of Jantar Mantar, Vinesh stuck her head out of the open glass window and said: “Naya desh mubarak ho.”
Police sources told The Indian Express that an FIR is being lodged against the wrestlers. They will be booked under IPC sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with a weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 352 (assaults any person otherwise than on grave and sudden provocation ),353 (assault to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 186 (obstructing public servant in duty).
Dependra Pathak, Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), told The Indian Express, “This was highly irresponsible behaviour of wrestlers and protesters. They were asked not to move out. We had urged them to continue their protest within the barricades because of the inauguration. They didn’t listen and jumped barricades. A few of them broke the barricades. We have only taken appropriate legal action by detaining them. Legal action is being taken for violating peace and disturbing law and order.”
A detained wrestler, however, told this paper that they want to continue their protest at Jantar Mantar.
In a video message on Twitter before they were detained, Sakshi said: “Today we are joining the mahila mahapanchayat in front of the new parliament building. Khap and farmer leaders and those who belong to women organisations have been arrested and put in jail. On one side a message is going out through the inauguration of the new Parliament building but at the same time democracy is being stifled. We have been sitting on the road for 35 days to get justice for women but our voice has not been heard. I appeal to the women of Delhi to come and support us.”
Vinesh also posted a similar message adding that the protest site had turned into a jail by Sunday morning.
India’s first Olympic gold medallist in track and field, javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra reacting to a video posted by Sakshi which showed Sangeeta being carried away by women cops tweeted: “Yeh dekhkar mujhe bahut duk ho raha hai (Seeing this I am feeling very sad). There has to be a better way to deal with this.”
Opposition party politicians also took to social media to criticise the detention of the wrestlers.
“The arrogance of the BJP government has increased so much that the government is mercilessly trampling the voices of our women players under their boots. This is totally wrong. The whole country is watching the arrogance of the government and this injustice,” Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted.
Before being detained, Bajrang said, “ We had told the police about our plans 3-4 days back. We even wrote a permission letter and asked them to allow a mahila panchayat of 400-500 women. We had no other plans but nobody heard us. They are dragging us and taking us to police stations. We will keep protesting.”