New Delhi: Protesting wrestlers along with their supporters allegedly jumped over the police barricades and tried to march towards the newly constructed Parliament building. However, they were stopped by the police, deployed in large numbers.
Police had made it clear in the morning that no protester will be allowed to move towards Parliament since they have not been granted permission for ‘Mahapanchat’ and the wrestlers should not be involved in any “anti-national activity”.
The wrestlers, staging a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar about two kilometres from the Parliament building, had said they would go ahead with their ‘Mahapanchayat’ at any cost.
Wrestlers, including Sakshi Malik, also clashed with police officials when they were stopped by police while marching towards the Parliament.
Videos of the wrestlers jumping over the police barricades at the Jantar Mantar were also doing rounds on social media.
Since April 23, prominent Indian wrestlers such as Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, and Vinesh Phogat have been staging a protest at Jantar Mantar against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. They have accused him of sexually harassing women wrestlers and have demanded that he be arrested.
As per initial reports, police have also detained a few people and they are taking them to a nearby police station from the protest site, including Malik and Sangeeta Phogat.
“We were walking towards the Parliament peacefully with the tri-colour in our hands. We were not forcing our way. What barricades have we broken? The police and administration are blaming us unnecessarily,” said Bajrang Punia.
Several khap panchayat leaders were also detained and prevented from moving ahead by the police.
Meanwhile, multi-layer barricades have been installed from Jantar Mantar to the newly constructed Parliament building.
Thousands of police personnel have been deployed in the bordering areas, including Tikri, Ghazipur, Singhu and Badarpur borders and police are conducting thorough vehicle inspections for those entering from the borders.
The police have also made a formal request to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) seeking permission to establish a temporary jail at the MC Primary Girls School located at Kanjhawala Chowk, Old Bawana. This request has been made in case the need arises to maintain a law and order situation.
(With inputs from news agencies)
