The most recent squabble started when the wrestlers attempted to carry foldable beds to the protest site.
Digital Desk: After a midnight brawl with police, India's top wrestlers
broke down and narrated their ordeal at Jantar Mantar, seeking support from the
entire country. The protesting wrestlers made severe claims against the police
officers, stating that they were inebriated when they manhandled them and
assaulted the female protestors, injuring a couple of them.
Wrestlers claim
that drunk police officers mistreated and abused protesters.
Several videos
of the brawl between wrestlers and police officers at the scene have gone viral
on social media. The most recent squabble started when the wrestlers attempted
to carry foldable beds to the protest site.
Following the
altercation, wrestler Bajrang Punia stated that the police used force against
them and instructed people to travel to Delhi using tractors. "We need the
entire country's support; everyone must come to Delhi." This is the state
of the national capital's law and order. The police are employing excessive
force on us, abusing women, and doing little to help Brijbhushan.
"We all
reached the site and saw that the area was filled with water and there was no
place to sleep," Vinesh Phogat said as he and Sakshi Malik faced the
reporters. As a result, we decided to bring the cots. One of the cops suddenly
began pressing us. We are opposing Brijbhushan, who is sleeping in his house,
and we are unable to bring our beds. We are battling for our liberties."
"After the
way they've treated us, I wouldn't want any athlete to win a medal for the
country," she added.
Geeta Phogat
also backed the wrestlers, claiming that his brother had suffered a major head
injury during the brawl. "The police attack on wrestlers at Jantar Mantar
in which my younger brother Dushyant Phogat's head was severed and another
wrestler was also injured is very shameful," Geeta Phogat stated on
Twitter.
While DCP Pranav Tayal stated that the wrestlers brought the beds
without permission, they refused even after being asked to stop, which followed
an altercation. Responding to the allegations of a cop being drunk he stated
that the medical checkup is being conducted.
"Somnath Bharti
brought folding beds to the protest site in Jantar Mantar. Since there was no
permission, we didn't allow it, so some of the supporters of the protesting
wrestlers tried to take out the beds from the truck and this led to an
altercation," said DCP Pranav
He further said,
"We have told the wrestlers to complain about their grievances and will
take appropriate action...medical check-up of the Policeman on whom they've
raised allegations, being conducted".
Following the scuffle, the
Delhi Police on Thursday morning made heavy deployment of security personnel at
Jantar Mantar. Multiple barricades have been put up around the protest site,
and no one is allowed in. It comes after wrestlers called for farmers and
their leaders to assemble at the protest site on Thursday morning.
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.
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