Wrestlers’ protest: Heavy security turns Jantar Mantar into fortress

PTI, May 4, 2023, 8:36 AM IST

The Delhi Police on Thursday morning made a heavy deployment of security personnel at Jantar Mantar where a scuffle broke out between the protesting wrestlers and some police personnel, leading to head injuries to a couple of protesters Multiple layers of barricades have been put up around the protest site and no one is being allowed in.

It comes after wrestlers called for farmers and their leaders to assemble at the protest site on Thursday morning.

Police are also checking vehicles at city border points to stop a large gathering at Jantar Mantar, an official said who didn’t wish to be named.

A scuffle had allegedly broken out between the protesting wrestlers and some police personnel at the Jantar Mantar here, leading to head injuries to a couple of protesters.

The wrestlers have alleged that they were manhandled by the police personnel.

According to protestors, two wrestlers Rahul Yadav and Dushyant Phogat were also injured. Phogat has received head injuries.

On Wednesday late night, police detained Rajya Sabha MP Dipendra Hooda and chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Swati Maliwal who had reached the spot to support the wrestlers.

The wrestlers have been staging a sit-in at Jantar Mantar since April 23. They have levelled allegations of sexual harassment against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is also a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Uttar Pradesh.

In a video being circulated on social media platforms, some of the protesters can be heard accusing a police personnel of attacking two wrestlers under the influence of alcohol.

The accused policeman is seen sitting in the video, while the protesters allege that his colleagues were mute spectators.