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Wrestler protests: Police forcefully remove protesters, tents from Jantar Mantar

There was a scuffle between wrestlers and the police when they were stopped by police while marching towards the Parliament.

Written by : IANS

In an attempt to forcefully end the protests by wrestlers in Jantar Mantar, the Delhi Police, on Sunday, May 28, has detained the protesters, including Vinesh Phogat, Sakshee Malikkh and Bajrang Punia. A scuffle broke out between the police and the protesters, and visuals show police manhandling the protestors. Some of the protesting wrestlers along with their supporters jumped over the police barricades and tried to march towards the newly constructed Parliament building. The police detained all the protesting wrestlers and also removed the tents installed at the protest site at Jantar Mantar.

There was a scuffle between wrestlers and the police when they were stopped by police while marching towards the Parliament. 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. Meanwhile, multi-layer barricades have been installed from Jantar Mantar to the newly constructed Parliament building.

“Does any government get the champions of their country treated like this? What crime have we committed?,” Bajrang Punia tweeted with images of the clash between police and protestors.

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. However, Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi denied the request.

"It has been brought to my notice that a letter has been sent by Delhi Police to MCD Deputy Commissioner (North) on May 27 asking to create a temporary jail in MC Primary Girls School, Khanjawala Chowk, Old Bhawan on May 28. It is hereby directed that no such permission will be granted," said Oberoi in the letter.

“After detaining all the wrestlers and elderly mothers, the police have now started dismantling our tents at Jantar Mantar. Our luggage is being removed. What hooliganism is this?,” Sakshee tweeted with visuals of the tents being removed.

Meanwhile, representatives from student organisations such as All India Students Association  (AISA), All India Progressive Women's Association (AIPWA), and Revolutionary Youth Association (RYA), have obstructed the Janpath road in Delhi, protesting the assault and detention of wrestlers. "Condemning the brutal police attack and detention of wrestlers marching towards Parliament for the Mahila Panchayat, hundreds of people, including members from AISA, AIPWA and RYA have blocked the road at Janpath," AISA wrote on its Twitter handle.

The protesters also claimed that the police have imposed section 144 in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus and did not let them go to join the wrestlers protesting at the Jantar Mantar. However, police are yet to react to the students' claims.

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.

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