Photos | Wrestlers Dragged & Detained: As Police Clears Protest Site, What Next?
In Photos: Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, and Sakshi Malik were among those detained by the Delhi Police.
Photos | Wrestlers Dragged & Detained: As Police Clears Protest Site, What Next?
(Photo: PTI)
(Trigger warning: violence, detention)
Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and several other wrestlers protesting at Delhi's Jantar Mantar were detained by the Delhi Police on Sunday, 28 May while marching to the Parliament as Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Parliament buidling.
Security personnel detain wrestlers ahead of the planned 'Mahila Panchayat' they wanted to hold outside the new Parliament building.
Sakshi Malik, one of the wrestlers leading protests against Brijbhushan Sharan Singh was also detained during the march.
Wrestler Sangeeta Phogat also tried to cross a police barricade to march towards the new Parliament building.
"Democracy was being murdered at Jantar Mantar in broad daylight. On one hand, the Prime Minister inaugurated a new Parliament and on the other, people who have turned up in our support are being detained,"said Vinesh Phogat.
Speaking to the media, Olympian Bajrang Poonia said: "We were carrying out our march peacefully but look at the way the women are being manhandled."
Several Opposition leaders slammed the Central government and the Delhi police for manhandling the protesters.
Leaders including Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal, Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra questioned PM Modi's claims on democracy at the inaugural ceremony of the new Parliament while wrestlers were being detained.
Throughout the day, the police stopped several khaps at the borders from entering Delhi to support the wrestlers. Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait was also stopped with farmers gathered near the Ghazipur border.
After the wrestlers were detained, authorities cleared the site of the protest at Jantar Mantar by removing the cots, mattresses, coolers, fans and the tarpaulin ceiling along with other belongings of the wrestlers.
A picture of security personnel dragging wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Sangeeta Phogat went viral.
All eyes are now set on the wrestlers' next move after they are released from detention.
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