Wrestlers Violated Law Yesterday, Now Not Allowed To Protest At Jantar Mantar: Delhi Police

A day after scuffle broke out between Delhi police and wrestlers, the cops on Monday said that grapplers cannot protest at Jantar Mantar now.

Delhi police says wrestlers not allowed to protest at Jantar mantar now. ( Image Source :PTI | Twitter @sumannalwa )

Day after a scuffle between wrestlers and Delhi police personnel escalated to the level that cops had to detain the grapplers, the police have now said that wrestlers will now not be allowed to protest at Jantar Mantar. Notably, a 'Mahila Mahapanchyat' was called by the protesters outside the new parliament building on Sunday, when it was being inaugurated, to register their concern with the government. While they tried marching towards the new complex, barricades were put to stop them and a heavy police deployment was made to reduce their movements.

Subsequently, a clash between wrestlers and police broke out resulting in the detention of the grapplers. Reacting to it, Suman Nalwa, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Delhi said, "Yesterday, protesters violated the law despite all requests made to them. That is why, the ongoing sit-in protest has been made to conclude. If the wrestlers give an application for sit-in protest again in future, they will be permitted for the same at a suitable place other than Jantar Mantar."

"We provided all possible facilities to the wrestlers protesting at Jantar Mantar for the past 38 days. But yesterday they violated the law despite all requests made to them...They were detained and released by the evening," she added.

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

She further said that if the wrestlers give an application for sit-in protest again in the future, they will be permitted for the same at a suitable place other than Jantar Mantar. She also said that there no indecency was done with any female player and only women police personnel detained them.

"Such big players should not behave like this themselves," she added.

The police also released a statement on Twitter and said, "The dharna and demonstration of the wrestling wrestlers was going on smoothly at the notified place of Jantar Mantar. Yesterday, the protestors flouted the law in a frenzy despite all requests and requests. Hence the ongoing dharna has been called off."

"If the wrestlers apply for permission to stage a sit-in again in the future, they will be allowed at any of the suitable notified places other than Jantar Mantar," the tweet added.

यदि कुश्ती पहलवान भविष्य में दोबारा धरने प्रदर्शन की अनुमति की अर्जी लगाते हैं, तो उन्हें जंतर मंतर के अलावा अन्य उपयुक्त, सूचित स्थानों में से किसी जगह अनुमति दी जाएगी।

— DCP New Delhi (@DCPNewDelhi) May 29, 2023

Star wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, and Sakshi Malik were booked in an FIR on Sunday along with other organisers after a scuffle broke out between them and the police at Jantar Mantar. They have been booked for rioting and obstructing public servant in discharge of duty and the FIR was registered under Sections 147, 149, 186, 188, 332, 353 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

As per the Delhi Police a few wrestlers came to Jantar Mantar at night to protest but were denied permission and sent back home. 

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."