A day after a scuffle broke out between the Delhi Police and the protesting wrestlers at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, the wrestlers had claimed that two protestors had been hurt after the police ‘attacked’ them. The wrestlers yesterday claimed that the scuffle led to some wrestlers getting injured, including Dushyant Phogat, who had been taken to the hospital.
In the video which has been shared by ABP news journalist Vikas Bhadauria, Dushyant Phogat can clearly be heard saying that he has attained the injuries due to the fan. “Pankhe se lag gai (Got hurt due to the fan),” he said as he was seen being questioned by his aides about the injury on his head.
The wrestlers who have levelled allegations of sexual harassment against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is also a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Uttar Pradesh, are protesting at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar since 23 April.
The scuffle yesterday is said to have broken after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) politician and an MLA from Malviya Nagar, Somnath Bharti arrived at Jantar Mantar with folding beds for the wrestlers without any permission. The Delhi Police spotted Bharti and said that he did not have permission to see the wrestler, given that in the evening, no outsiders were allowed inside the barricade.
After a few minutes, the wrestlers also got involved and the Police detained Bharati and his supporters who arrived at the spot. The matter further escalated as the wrestlers claimed that the Delhi Police was drunk and they misbehaved with the wrestlers. The police, according to the wrestlers, also caused injuries to Dushyant Phogat and other wrestlers. However, the viral video states that Phogat suffered injuries due to the fan and not due to the police.
One of the protesting wrestlers, Vinesh Phogat also meanwhile claimed that drunk police officers abused her during the scuffle. “I was abused and pushed around by policemen. Where were the women police personnel? If you want to kill us, kill us. Did we win medals for the country to see this day? We have not even eaten our food. Does every man have a right to abuse women? These policemen are holding guns, they can kill us,” she was quoted as saying.
Geeta Phogat also tweeted to claim that the Delhi Police had caused injury to her little brother, Dushyant Phogat. However, the viral video tells a different story.
Reportedly, Bajrang Punia, another wrestler has called for support from farmers in their protest against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. “Delhi Police’s high-handedness will not work anymore. We will call farmers to assemble here in numbers. We will not tolerate it anymore. Tractors or trolleys, whatever you get, just come here. I request everyone to reach Delhi by Thursday morning. This is the time. If not, then when? This is a question of the dignity of our daughters. People like Brij Bhushan are roaming freely despite being criminals and all this is happening to us,” he said.
According to Delhi Police, a confrontation between Bharti and his followers and law enforcement officials occurred when they attempted to remove the folding beds from their vehicles in an ‘aggressive’ manner.
“During the protest at Jantar Mantar, Mr Somnath Bharti came to the protest site along with folding beds without permission. On intervention, the supporters became aggressive in trying to get the beds out of the truck. Subsequently, a minor altercation took place in which Mr Somnath Bharti along with 2 others was detained,” said DCP New Delhi, Pranav Tayal.
Following the late-night altercation, Delhi Police have heavily barricaded the wrestlers’ protest location at Jantar Mantar.