New Delhi, TNI Bureau: Protesting wrestlers, supported by khap panchayats from various states and farmers, have announced a ‘mahila samman mahapanchayat’ near the Parliament building in Delhi. However, their march towards the new Parliament building was halted at Jantar Mantar, where they were detained by the police. In response, the protesters broke through the barricades set up by the authorities.
As part of a crackdown on the protesting grapplers, the police removed the tents from the protest site at Jantar Mantar. Wrestler Bajrang Punia, a prominent figure among the protesters, was also detained by security personnel while marching towards the Parliament building. The protesters maintain that their march is peaceful and argue that it is their right to express their grievances on the streets.
Several wrestlers, including Sakshi Malik, Satyawart Kadian, and a few others, have been apprehended and confined inside a bus. Additionally, Bajrang Punia is also being held in custody.
The police detained the protesters who were marching towards the new Parliament building for the ‘Mahila Samman Mahapanchayat’ called by the wrestlers. Videos circulating online captured scuffles between the protesters and the police, with the former attempting to resist. In one video, female police officer were seen forcefully removing a woman from the protest site.
Swati Maliwal, the chief of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), condemned the detentions, stating, “These women had proudly represented our nation abroad, and today they are being treated in such a manner while our national flag is being disrespected on the road.”
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Wrestler Bajrang Punia, expressing his discontent with the situation, declared, “The Mahapanchayat will certainly be held today. We are fighting for our self-respect. While they inaugurate the new Parliament building, democracy is being undermined in our country. We appeal to the administration to release our detained fellow protesters.”
Security measures have been intensified at the Tikri border as khap panchayat leaders and farmers are expected to join the protesting wrestlers’ march towards the new Parliament House in Delhi today.
The champion wrestlers had resumed their agitation against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), on April 23, demanding his arrest for reasons undisclosed in the current report.