New Delhi: Delhi Police has initiated legal action against wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and Sangeeta Phogat, among others, who were detained earlier in the day, ThePrint has learnt.
Police sources told ThePrint that an FIR has been lodged against organisers of the protest under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), and section 3 of The Prevention of Damage to Public Property (PDPP) Act.
Reacting to the developments, Vinesh Phogat said in a tweet that it took the Delhi police seven days to file an FIR against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and “not even seven hours” register a case against those holding a “peaceful agitation”.
दिल्ली पुलिस को यौन शोषण करने वाले बृज भूषण के ख़िलाफ़ FIR दर्ज करने में 7 दिन लगते हैं और शांतिपूर्ण आंदोलन करने पर हमारे ख़िलाफ़ FIR दर्ज करने में 7 घंटे भी नहीं लगाए। क्या इस देश में तानाशाही शुरू हो गई है ? सारी दुनिया देख रही है सरकार अपने खिलाड़ियों के साथ कैसा बर्ताव कर…
— Vinesh Phogat (@Phogat_Vinesh) May 28, 2023
Earlier in the day, Delhi police detained the wrestlers before they could hold an all-woman mahapanchayat close to the newly-inaugurated Parliament building.
The wrestlers have been demanding the immediate arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has been accused of sexual harassment by seven women wrestlers, including a minor — charges he has denied.
Delhi police have filed two separate FIRs against Singh, including one under sections of the POCSO Act.
“We deeply respect the wrestlers,” Dependra Pathak, Special Commissioner of Police, Law and Order, had told the media earlier Sunday, “but any hurdle in the inauguration of the new Parliament building will be dealt with politely but firmly”.
“We request wrestlers to not indulge in any anti-national (rashtra virodhi) activity today,” he had said.
The wrestlers were detained at various police stations across the national capital region (NCR). While Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and Sangeeta Phogat were released by evening, Bajrang Punia, Somvir Rathee and others are still under detention.
In a video posted on Facebook minutes after her release from Kalkaji police station, Vinesh Phogat said the “fight is not over yet”, and appealed to agitators to continue to protest wherever they are.
She also said that the police were aggressive and insensitive, and vengeful towards the wrestlers, and accused a high-ranking police officer of shooting “7-8 private videos” of her and Sangeeta. “All day, the police has done only one thing — crush our dignity,” she said.
The sportspersons had been sitting on dharna at Jantar Mantar since 23 April and had given a call for a ‘Mahila Mahapanchayat’ near the new Parliament which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier today.
While supporters planning to come to Delhi from Haryana and Punjab were detained, in Delhi, the police detained the protesting wrestlers who tried to march towards the new Parliament, thus thwarting the mahapanchayat. While being taken away in a bus, wrestler Vinesh Phogat had told those present, “Naya desh mubarak ho.”
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
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