Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, May 28: Amidst cries of “shame” from many opposition leaders, the medal winning wrestlers of the country were allegedly manhandled and detained virtually forcibly ending their month-long protest demonstration at Jantar Mantar in Delhi less than two kilometres from the site where the prime minister Narendra Modi was inaugurating the “edifice of democracy” the new Parliament building in a grandiose ceremony on Sunday morning.
chaos unfolded in the heart of the capital on Sunday as top wrestlers, including Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia, were detained by Delhi Police while attempting to march towards the new parliament building as a mark of protest for not taking action against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a BJP Member of Parliament, accused of sexual harassment of female wrestlers.
The Olympics and Commonwealth Games medal-winning champions were seen being shoved, pushed and dragged into buses in scenes that stoked widespread outrage. The athletes had planned a ‘Mahila Samman Mahapanchayat’ (women’s assembly) as part of their ongoing protest against the WFI chief.
Singh, a leader of the ruling BJP, has been accused by the wrestlers of sexually harassing several female athletes. These allegations have stirred a nationwide controversy, leading to widespread protests demanding his arrest. This is how our champions are being treated. The world is watching us,” the medal winning wrestler Sakshi Malik tweeted.
Delhi Police had ramped up security measures at Jantar Mantar, the designated protest site, ahead of the planned ‘Mahapanchayat’. Despite the increased security, the wrestlers remained adamant about going forward with their protest. The tension escalated when the wrestlers, led by Vinesh Phogat and her cousin sister Sangeeta Phogat, attempted to breach the security barricades.
“All protesters were detained and forcefully boarded in buses by Police,” said Dependra Pathak, Special Commissioner of Police, Law and Order. He added that the athletes were “detained for violating law and order,” and assured that legal action would be taken “after an inquiry in due course of time.” Delhi Police will to register an FIR against top wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sangeeta Phogat under IPC sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with a weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 352 (assaults any person otherwise than on grave and sudden provocation), 353 (assault to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 186 (obstructing public servant in duty), official sources said.
Following the detentions, police officers proceeded to clear the protest site, which had been active since the wrestlers resumed their protest against Singh on April 23. Opposition leaders, who boycotted the parliament opening, strongly condemned the crackdown. “On a day when the new Parliament building is dedicated to the nation, it’s distressing to witness such brutal & shameful manhandling of India’s most celebrated champion wrestlers, our national pride. Their crime – Seeking justice through peaceful democratic protests,” the Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren said.
The protesting athletes, which include Olympic medallists and Asian Games gold winners, have been unwavering in their demand for Singh’s arrest. The use of force by the police, they insisted, would not deter them from carrying on with their peaceful protest and assembly.
In an apparent bid to forcefully end their protest at Jantar Mantar, the Delhi police detained Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia for violation of law and order. Immediately after the wrestlers were pushed into buses and taken to an unknown location, the police officers began clearing the protest site by removing the cots, mattresses, cooler fans and the tarpaulin ceiling along with other belongings of the wrestlers. It seems the police will not allow the wrestlers back to the protest site though no official statement has been made in this regard.
The police had warned the wrestlers not to move towards Parliament but they went ahead, leading to the scuffle. Chaotic scenes were witnessed at Jantar Mantar as wrestlers and police officers shoved and pushed each other when Vinesh Phogat and her cousin sister Sangeeta Phogat tried to breach the barricades.
Vinesh provided a strong resistance against her detention and Sangeeta clung to her cousin sister while lying on the road as the struggle continued for a few dramatic minutes. The police officials dragged and lifted them into buses along several other wrestlers and their supporters.
“We need to assess the entire situation. As you have seen the barricades have been broken and they moved ahead despite request and warning. So that is why we have removed them from here.” “The bottom line is peace and tranquility in all situation will be maintained. We will ensure professional steps to see to it that nothing goes wrong,” Pathak said. Earlier in the day, Pathak urged the wrestlers to not indulge in anti-national activities on the “historic day” of inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Today is the inauguration of our new Parliament. It is an important day for our country and a proud moment. So any type of agitation or march on this day is anti-national. No way Delhi Police can afford any lapse. We respect and love our athletes but can’t allow any untoward incident,” he said.
The protesting wrestlers and their supporters have been taken to different locations in the national capital. While Bajrang has been detained at a police station near Mayur Vihar, Sakshi is in Burari. Vinesh and Sangeeta were taken to Kalkaji.
The Delhi Police had beefed up security at Jantar Mantar following protesting wrestlers’ call for a ‘Mahila Samman Mahapanchayat’ before the new Parliament Building on Sunday. A teary-eyed Vinesh, who showed maximum resistance, later said from a bus that they are being punished for demanding justice. “The accused is roaming free, he is being given shelter by the government and we athletes who won medals for the country are now being put in jail for demanding justice for country’s daughters,” she said.
“Welcome to the new country,” she quipped from the bus window. Bajrang feels grave injustice was being meted out to them for demanding justice. “The accused has such audacity that he is talking about changing the POCSO Act and you are doing nothing against him and here are athletes who are demanding justice with folded hands and you are ill-treating them,” he said.
“Over 2000 of our supporters were detained. Everywhere dictatorship is going on.” Later, he tweeted, “Does any government treat the champions of the country like this? What crime have we committed?” Sakshi also took to twitter to vent out her anger against the government and the Delhi Police.
“This is how our champions are being treated. The world is watching us! Sexual abuser goon Brij Bhushan is sitting in the Parliament today and we are being dragged on the road. Sad day for Indian sports,” the Olympic medallist wrote. “Was it a crime to bring medals for the country? if yes, then hang us,” she added.
Ironically, both Bajrang and Vinesh were detained just metres away from Brij Bhushan’s official residence at 21, Ashoka Road. Thousands of police personnel were deployed and multiple layers of barricades were in place in the Lutyens’ Delhi. The wrestlers, staging a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar which is about two kilometres from the Parliament building, had said they will go ahead with their ‘Mahapanchayat’ at any cost.
A section of Jawaharlal Nehru University students alleged that the varsity authorities “prevented” them from taking part in the ‘Mahila Mahapanchayat’ by ramping up security on campus. There was heavy police deployment on the campus, the students added. No immediate response was available from the police or the university. The All India Students’ Association (AISA) claimed that an “undeclared Section 144” has been imposed on the campus.
“Today, the Mahila Panchayat was announced. Heavy police deployment has been made inside and outside Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to prevent students from participating in it. The government has deployed its entire machinery to protect sexual violence accused,” said AISA activist Madhurima Kundu said.
Sumit, one of the protesters who is also a wrestling coach in Haryana, said, “Their (detained wrestlers) phones have been seized. We have been trying to contact Vinesh, Sangeeta Phogat and Sakshi Malik, but police aren’t allowing us to meet them. They told us everyone will be released in the evening.”
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called the Delhi Police actions against the sportspersons, who he said bring honour to the country, “wrong and condemnable.”
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee called the detention of wrestlers protesting at Jantar Mantar ‘shameful’. Meanwhile, the party’s MLA and former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary hit out at the Centre and questioned if this action comes under their Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav ideology.
The Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who had earlier accused the PM of treating the inauguration of the new parliament as a “coronation ceremony” said, “The coronation is over – the ‘arrogant king’ is crushing the voice of the public on the streets!” Launching an attack on the BJP government, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, “The arrogance of the BJP government has increased so much that the government is mercilessly trampling the voices of our women players under their boots.” “The medals on the chest of the players are the pride of our country,” she said.
Attacking the ruling government, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said, “Democracy is not just about buildings, Runs by the voice of the public.” “Women players were beaten with dictatorial force on the streets! 3 lies of BJP-RSS rulers are now exposed in front of the country 1. Democracy 2. Nationalism 3. Save daughter,” he wrote on Twitter. Kharge further said the “right to inaugurate the new parliament was taken away from the President.”
“The Modi government might have inaugurated a new parliament building today. But on the streets, its police showed what it really thinks of democracy,” wrote the official Twitter handle of CPI(M).
The year-long farmers’ protest against three central laws has found an echo in the Indian wrestlers’ protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, with their critics labelling them as Khalistanis. The wrestlers have received the backing of farmers’ unions and other civil society groups in both Haryana and Punjab. The use of the term Khalistani to describe the wrestlers, most of whom are from Haryana, gained traction, especially online, after Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh latched on to an alleged statement of Olympic medalist Bajrang Punia, one of the protesters. “Punia has said he knows how to behead,” Brij Bhushan said.