A scuffle broke at Jantar Mantar between the wrestlers, who are protesting against the WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and Delhi Police personnel late on Wednesday with the former alleging that some officers attacked them with batons.
Speaking to reporters amid the chaotic situation, wrestler Bajrang Punia said that some of them had brought wooden beds to sleep due to rain after which some policemen “attacked them”. He urged all citizens to come to Delhi in support of protesters. “Take your tractors and come to Delhi before morning. They are abusing sisters and daughters,” he said.
When asked, DCP (New Delhi) Pranav Tayal said, “During the protest at Jantar Mantar, Mr. Somnath Bharti (AAP MLA) came at the protest site along with folding beds without permission. On intervention, the supporters became aggressive in trying to get the beds out of the truck. Subsequently, a minor altercation took place in which Mr. Somnath Bharti along with two others was detained.”
Taking to Twitter, Mr. Bharti said, “Strange is the situation. BJP’s MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is out and enjoying in spite of having a POCSO FIR against him but just because I supported the demand of women wrestlers for a foldable cot to avoid rain wrenched site of Jantar Mantar, I have been detained in Mandir Marg Police Station.”
Wrestlers are protesting against Mr. Singh and have accused him of sexual harassament of many women wrestlers.
Gopal Tiwari, one of the protest organisers, told Sportstar that one Rahul Yadav, who is a also wrestler, was injured in the attack.
“We had got cots due to rain and waterlogging, but cops started throwing them here and there. Then Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat reached there and one three-star officer started abusing them, mainly by pointing at Vinesh,” he said.
“In the process, some cops hit Rahul with the foldable cot in the head and then attacked him with sticks and kicks. He has suffered injuries in head and one leg,” he said, adding that the protesters were not allowed to take him to the hospital.
Several purported videos of the incident appeared on the internet. In one of them, some protesters were seen gathering a policeman and claimed that he was “still drunk”.
Mr. Tiwari said that the protesters caught one police personnel drinking in the toilet before the scuffle and wanted to get his medical test done. “But the police threatened us and took him away to protect him,” he said.
He also alleged that that some cops also manhandled and misbehaved with women.
In another video, wrestler Vinesh Phogat alleged that one wrestler “suffered head injuries in the attack” and that the cops also “misbehaved and pushed” women protesters.
Talking to reporters, Vinesh, sobbing, said that there were “no women police personnel” at the time of the scuffle. “Why were they (men personnel) pushing us?” she asked
Taking to Twitter, Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj hit out at the Central Government alleging that a Delhi Police officer attacked a wrestler at Jantar Mantar.
“It is being alleged that the officer was drunk,” he wrote and demanded that medical test of the police officer and MLC of the wrestler be conducted.
In another tweet, he wrote, “Central Govt will avoid getting medical test of its Police officer. Lady wrestlers alleged that (the) policeman is intoxicated and he misbehaved with lady wrestlers. What a shame!”
In a tweet, wrestler Geeta Phogat also alleged, “The police attack[ed] on wrestlers at Jantar Mantar in which my younger brother Dushyant Phogat’s head was severed and another wrestler was also injured. (It) is very shameful.”
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