Delhi Police Wrestle with Protesting Wrestlers, SC Closes Their Case, But Agitation Continues

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, May 4: The week-long sit-in dharna by the top wrestlers at Jantar Mantar in Delhi took an ugly turn on Wednesday when they were allegedly manhandled by some “drunk” policemen following an altercation over allowing some folding beds to reach the protest site for the convenience of the agitating wrestlers.

Citing that folding beds at Jantar Mantar was against the rules, the police prevented the people carrying the cots from reaching the site and indulged into altercations with the protesting wrestlers. The wrestlers said they had called for some folding beds to sleep in the night after heavy rains damaged folding camp and plastic cover sheet at the protest site.

After the tormenting night, the protesting wrestlers also received a setback from the Supreme Court on Thursday when the apex court closed the proceedings on a plea by three women wrestlers, who have levelled sexual harassment allegations against the Wrestling Federation of India chief, after noting that FIRs have been registered and seven complainants have been provided adequate security.

A bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud refused to entertain an oral plea by the counsel representing the wrestlers that the ongoing probe be monitored by a retired or a serving high court judge. “You came here with specific prayers for registration of FIR and security for the complainants. Now both of your prayers have been addressed. If you have any further grievances, you can very well approach the high court or the jurisdictional magistrate,” the bench, also comprising Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala, said, adding that it was closing the proceedings for now.

It granted liberty to the petitioner to move the high court or the jurisdictional magistrate for further relief. At the outset, the bench was informed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on behalf of the Delhi Police that as per the top court’s April 28 order, assessment of threat perception to the complainants was carried out by the police. He told the bench that adequate security arrangements have been made for the minor complainant as well as the six other women wrestlers.

“We respect Supreme Court order, protest will continue. SC order not a setback, top court did what it could in the matter. We have all options open, will decide future course of action after consulting seniors: protesting wrestlers,” the protesting grapplers said.

Even as the police denied there was any “scuffle,” the wrestlers claimed that they were assaulted by cops when they wanted to bring in folding beds to the protest site. Several wrestlers were hit on the head with two sustaining injuries. One person fell unconscious and had to be taken to a hospital for treatment.

According to the police, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Somnath Bharti reached the protest site with folding beds without permission. When the police intervened, a minor altercation broke out following which the AAP leader and two others were detained, police said.

In a video that is now viral on social media, some protesters can be heard accusing police personnel of attacking wrestlers under the influence of alcohol.

“A drunk policeman, Dharemendra, abused Vinesh Phogat and got involved in a scuffle with us,” said former wrestler Rajveer. Olympian and Commonwealth Games Gold medallist Geeta Phogat has said her younger brother Dushyant Phogat’s head “was cracked open.” Asian and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Vinesh Phogat broke down and said they were not criminals to be treated in such manner. “If you want to kill us, then kill us,” Ms Phogat said crying.

Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda who reached the protest site late at night claimed that he was detained by Delhi Police and taken to Vasant Vihar police station. Wrestler Geeta Phogat and husband Pawan Kumar were taken into preventive custody by Delhi Police when they were on their way to Jantar Mantar to join Wrestler’s protest.

The protesting wrestlers on Thursday also claimed that Delhi Police have taken away their generator set and the mattresses they had kept for drying, even as heavy police deployment continued near the protest site. “Delhi Police have taken away our mattresses which we have kept for drying. They have taken away our generator set,” the protesters said.

Delhi Police have dismissed allegations of some policemen being drunk. The police said that no force was used against the protesters and that five police personnel sustained injuries in the altercation. Following the clash, heavy police force has been deployed at the protest site and the whole area has been barricaded, not allowing media personnel to reach the protesting wrestlers.

Hurt by the “boorish behaviour of the Delhi Police,”  protesting wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia offered to return their medals and awards to the government, saying these honours are of no use if they are being subjected to such humiliation.

“If this is how the wrestlers will be treated, what will we do with the medals? Rather we will live a normal life and return all the medals and awards to the Indian Government,” Bajrang, an Olympic bronze medallist, told reporters on Thursday morning. “When police is pushing us, abusing us, misbehaving then they don’t see that we are Padma Shri awardee, and not only me, there is Sakshi [Malik] also,” he said referring to the Rio Olympics bronze medallist.

“They are misbehaving with us. Women and daughters are sitting on the streets, begging for kindness but no one is bothered about getting justice.” “Take it [medals] all away. We have been humiliated so much. We are fighting for our respect but being crushed under their feet. Does all men have the right to abuse women?” said Vinesh, who is Khel Ratna awardee. “We will return all our medals, even give our life but at least get us justice.”

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi condemned the “manhandling” of protesting women wrestlers as shameful and accused the BJP of never shying away from committing atrocities on the daughters of the country. He also dubbed the BJP’s slogan of “Beti Bachao” as mere hypocrisy. “Such behaviour with the players of the country is shameful,” the former Congress president said.

“’Beti Bachao’ is just hypocrisy. In fact, the BJP has never shied away from committing atrocities on the daughters of the country,” Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi while sharing a video of the players in which they are accusing the police of beating them up.

Slamming the BJP over the scuffle, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called its treatment of national sportspersons shameful and arrogant. Kejriwal in a tweet in Hindi said arrogance has gone to the head of the BJP and it wanted to run the system through “hooliganism” as he called on people to throw it out of power.

The wrestlers have asserted that they would not leave the protest site until the Wrestlers Federation of India president Brijbhushan Sharan Singh was arrested.