'Didn't Damage Any Public Property Yet We Were Dragged': Sakshi Malik On Wrestlers' Detention

Female grappler Sakshi Malik said that they were protesting peacefully and didn't even damage any public property yet they were dragged to the buses while being detained.

Protesting wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik during a press conference, at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.

Day after the chaos that erupted during the detention of wrestlers while they were marching towards the new Parliament building, female grappler Sakshi Malik on Monday said Delhi Police dragged them to the buses though they didn't damage any public property at all. Meanwhile, a heavy police presence was seen along with barricades around Jantar Mantar on Monday where wrestlers had been protesting for over a month for the arrest of WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. After Delhi Police cleared the demarcated protest site on Sunday, they said that the protesting grapplers wouldn't be allowed to return, reported news agency ANI.

While talking to the news agency ANI, Malik said, "The situation yesterday was bad. We wanted to march peacefully but they didn't let us do that. We requested them to please allow us to go, we have called our elders there for the 'Female Mahapanchayat'. But, there was barricading right after 10 steps. When we tried moving forward, they started pushing us back and detained us."

She further said, "We were requesting them continuously to not take us, we were protesting peacefully only but, as shown in the videos, they picked us up and dragged us to the buses. We didn't riot, we didn't damage any public property still we were detained. Then around 6 pm, we were left to go."

#WATCH | Delhi | On yesterday's protest, their detention and FIR against them, wrestler Sakshee Malikkh says, "The situation yesterday was bad. We wanted to march peacefully but they didn't let us do that. There was barricading right from Jantar Mantar. They started pushing us… pic.twitter.com/gVwnhe6rbQ

— ANI (@ANI) May 29, 2023

News agency PTI shared a visual from Jantar Mantar showing the security deployment at the site.

VIDEO | Heavy security deployment and barricading around Jantar Mantar where wrestlers had been protesting for over a month, demanding the arrest of WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Delhi Police cleared the site on Sunday and said the protesting athletes will not be… pic.twitter.com/MAQSDJc7zz

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 29, 2023

Notably, hours after protesting wrestlers were detained, an FIR was registered against them. Wrestler Bajrang Punia slammed the Delhi Police and said that it only took them a few hours to register FIR against the wrestlers but they took seven days to lodge an FIR against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Singh, reported news agency ANI.

Speaking to the reporters, Punia said, "It is unfortunate that a person accused of sexual harassment attended the inauguration of the new Parliament building…It took Delhi Police only a few hours to register an FIR against us but it took them 7 days to register an FIR against Brij Bhushan Singh."