India's top wrestlers, including renowned athletes Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia, had planned to stage a protest outside the new parliament during its inauguration in the National Capital on Sunday.
The athletes had organized a Mahila Samman Mahapanchayat (women's assembly) as part of their ongoing protest against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. However, as they attempted to march towards the new Parliament from their protest site at Jantar Mantar, the Delhi Police detained the protesting wrestlers.
The situation quickly escalated, with Vinesh, Sakshi, and Bajrang being shoved, pushed, and dragged into buses. The chaos, which unfolded nearly two kilometers from the new parliament, has sparked outrage in many quarters.
Even 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Neeraj Chopra expressed his disappointment after the protesting wrestlers were detained by the police on Sunday, taking to Twitter to voice his concerns.
"There has to be a better way to deal with this," Chopra tweeted.
Prior to the planned Mahapanchayat of the wrestlers, the Delhi Police had heightened security measures. However, chaos ensued when Vinesh and her cousin sister Sangeeta Phogat attempted to breach the security barricades.
"All protesters were detained and forcefully boarded in buses by Police," said Dependra Pathak, Special Commissioner of Police, Law and Order.
He added that the athletes were "detained for violating law and order," and assured that legal action would be taken "after an inquiry in due course of time".
Furthermore, the police have successfully cleared the protest site at Jantar Mantar, where the wrestlers had been protesting since April 24th. The wrestlers had made allegations against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accusing him of assaulting several female athletes.
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