New Delhi:
Top Indian wrestlers, including Olympians and Commonwealth Games champions, were detained on Sunday as they attempted to protest outside the newly inaugurated parliament building. The athletes have demanded the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India President Brij Bhushan Singh over allegations of sexual harassment and harassment.
The chief of the wrestling federation, a member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling BJP, has denied the allegations. This protest is part of a larger movement of athletes that has been gathering at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi since last month.
Thousands of police personnel were deployed in central Delhi as part of security measures ahead of the inauguration of the new parliament building and the planned ‘Mahila Mahapanchayat’ (Grand Women’s Assembly) by the wrestlers. Officials also closed all entry and exit gates at the Central Secretariat and Udyog Bhawan stations of the Delhi Metro.
Despite being denied permission for their protest, the wrestlers insisted on performing their “Mahila Mahapanchayat” near the new building. “We respect our athletes, but we will not interfere with the inauguration,” Dependra Pathak, special commissioner of police, law and order, told the press.
Security around the national capital was tightened, with extra police deployment, multiple barricades and thorough vehicle inspections. A senior police officer indicated that there is intensive patrolling of the national capital and neighboring areas to ensure law and order is maintained.
Rakesh Tikait, a prominent farmer leader, announced that thousands of farmers would gather at Ghazipur border in Delhi to show their solidarity with the wrestlers. These farmers planned to enter Delhi from different frontier points.
Ahead of the protest, police applied to Delhi Municipal Corporation for permission to set up a temporary jail at MC Primary Girls School in Old Bawana. “The borders of Delhi are under strict surveillance…no one will be allowed in without thorough checks,” a senior police officer reiterated.