The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has issued notice to Delhi Police seeking the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in connection with the sexual harassment case and the immediate release of wrestlers who were detained from the protest site Sunday.
The Indian police dragged away and detained the protesting wrestlers, dubbed by their critics ‘Khalistani’, as they tried to march to the new Parliament House demanding the arrest of Singh, a BJP MP, over allegations of sexual harassment and intimidation.
The Delhi Police has filed two FIRs against Singh, one of which relates to allegations by the minor wrestler and has been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, while the other is related to outraging modesty of adult women wrestlers.
In a letter to Commissioner of Police Sanjay Arora, DCW chief Swati Maliwal said she was deeply pained by the manhandling and detention of female wrestlers and their families protesting at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
She noted that the Delhi Police has “failed to arrest” the lawmaker despite a minor girl alleging sexual harassment.
Referring to the viral videos and images of police action against the aggrieved grapplers, Maliwal said the “manner in which these women champions are being dragged on the streets by Delhi Police is extremely unbecoming of the force.”
Indian police on Sunday dragged away and detained two Olympic wrestlers and dozens of others as they tried to march to parliament demanding the arrest of the sport's federation chief over allegations of sexual harassment and intimidation.
In an escalation of the month-old standoff, police also cleared the site in central New Delhi where the wrestlers have been camped out while calling for the arrest of Brij Bhushan Singh, an AFP journalist at the scene said.
The wrestlers attempted to march to India's new parliament on Sunday just as it was being inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but they were halted by some of the hundreds of police on duty for the event.
Among those detained by police and hauled away into buses were Olympic bronze medallists Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia.
One video posted on social media by Malik showed police dragging away screaming protesters. "The goon who sexually exploits, Brij Bhushan, is sitting in Parliament and we are being dragged on the road. Sad day for Indian sports," Malik tweeted.
Broadcaster NDTV quoted a senior police official who said "all protesters were detained and forcefully boarded in buses" because they had "violated law and order".
Police also removed tents and other items from the site where the protesters have been camped out, the AFP journalist said.
Opposition politicians condemned the police actions.
"Strongly condemn the way Delhi Police manhandled Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and other wrestlers. It's shameful our champions are treated in this manner," opposition politician Mamata Banerjee tweeted, calling for their release.
Wrestling federation chief Singh, who is from Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, has denied the accusations.
Meanwhile, the year-long farmers’ protest against three central laws has found an echo in the Indian wrestlers’ protest in New Delhi, with their critics labelling them as Khalistanis. The wrestlers, who have received the backing of farmers’ unions and other civil society groups in both Haryana and Punjab, were detained by the Delhi Police, reported Indian Express.
The use of the term Khalistani to describe the wrestlers, most of whom are from Haryana, gained traction, especially online, after Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh who has been accused of sexual harassment by seven women wrestlers latched on to an alleged statement of Olympic medalist Bajrang Punia, one of the protesters.
https://twitter.com/Warlock_Shabby/status/1662778327546093569
“Punia has said he knows how to behead,” Brij Bhushan said. “Whose head does he want to behead? Can farmer leaders, the Congress, and the Aam Aadmi Party support this statement? Whose language is this? The protest has been moving towards Punjab. It started from Delhi and is now gradually moving into Punjab. From there, to Khalistan, then Canada. This protest is not about wrestling. They have gotten themselves into a mess and are getting deeper into it.”