Protesters were trying to move towards the new Parliament building for a planned women’s ‘Mahapanchayat
AMN / AGENCIES
The Delhi police on Sunday detained Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia for what they said violation of law and order after they breached the security cordon while trying to move towards the new Parliament building for a planned women’s ‘Mahapanchayat’.
Immediately after the wrestlers were pushed into buses and taken to different locations, the police officers began clearing the protest site by removing the cots, mattresses, coolers, fans and the tarpaulin ceiling along with other belongings of the wrestlers.
It seems the police will not allow the wrestlers back to the protest site though no official statement has been made in this regard.
The police had warned the wrestlers not to move towards Parliament but they went ahead, leading to the scuffle.
The champion wrestlers had resumed their agitation against former Wresting Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on April 23, demanding his arrest for alleged sexual harassment of several women grapplers, including a minor.
Chaotic scenes were witnessed at Jantar Mantar as wrestlers and police officers shoved and pushed each other when Vinesh Phogat, her cousin sister Sangeeta Phogat and Sakshi tried to breach the barricades.
Vinesh provided a strong resistance against her detention and Sangeeta clung on to her cousin sister while lying on the road as the struggle continued for a few minutes.
Videos on social media showed a scuffle breaking out between protesters and police personnel even as the former tried to resist. In one of the videos, a few female police officers can be seen forcefully dragging a woman away from the protest site.