Delhi Police registers FIR against wrestlers protesting at Jantar Mantar

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Delhi Police registered FIR against protest organisers and others in connection with the scuffle that broke out at Jantar Mantar on Sunday. “A case has been registered against wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and other organisers of the protest. A few wrestlers had come to Jantar Mantar at night to protest, they were denied permission and were sent back,” Delhi Police said.

FIR was filed under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 147 (Punishment for rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), along with charges related to obstructing and hurting public servant in discharge of functions such as 186, 188, 332 , 353, and Section 3 of the PDPP Act.

India’s top wrestler Bajrang Punia stated on Sunday that it was terrible for the nation that Brij Bhushan Singh, the head of the Wrestling Federation (WFI), was present at the opening of the new Parliament building. When trying to march to the new Parliament building, where the protesting wrestlers planned to hold a demonstration, Delhi Police detained Bajrang Punia earlier on Sunday.

The wrestlers had announced that they planned to hold a women’s Maha Panchayat in front of the new Parliament as part of their protest against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan who has been accused of sexually harassing women wrestlers. Seven women wrestlers have filed a police complaint against him.

After he was released, Punia spoke to the media and said that the presence of Brij Bhushan at the inauguration of the new Parliament building was an unfortunate moment for our country.

“It is unfortunate for our country that the new parliament building was being inaugurated and an accused was present,” said Punia. He also further stated that he was the last one to get released after being detained for almost 10 hours. The police earlier released Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi and Sangeeta.

“There is no point in going home till we get justice. For 10 hours we were detained in different police stations. I was the last one to get released,” he added. Earlier Bajrang Punia tweeted alleging the Delhi Police of keeping him in custody without committing a crime. “Till now the police have kept me in their custody. Not telling anything. Have I committed any crime? Brij Bhushan should have been in jail. Why have we been kept in prison?” Punia wrote in his tweet.

Earlier today, the protesting wrestlers who were trying to march towards the new Parliament from their site of protest at Jantar Mantar were stopped and detained by the security personnel in Delhi. Delhi Police earlier said that “unsocial elements” won’t be allowed to enter the national capital to ensure smooth conduct of the inauguration ceremony of the new Parliament building, said DCP, Sonipat East Gaurav Rajpurohit.