Delhi: Khap mahapanchayat leaders to join wrestlers' protest today
Khap panchayat leaders from Rajasthan, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh are reportedly marching toward Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Sunday to support the agitating wrestlers. The grapplers have been demanding the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over sexual harassment allegations. Meanwhile, the Delhi Police has also beefed up the security at the Delhi borders and the protest venue.
Why does this story matter?
The Delhi Police registered two First Information Reports (FIR) against the chief of the WFI on April 28 after being pulled up by the Supreme Court. As many as seven female wrestlers, also reportedly including a minor, leveled sexual harassment allegations against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP on April 21. However, no FIR was registered in the case until a week later.
Rakesh Tikait to be present at wrestlers' protest today
The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) have also extended their support to the protesting wrestlers. They have reportedly also threatened to lay a siege to the national capital, along with khap leaders, until the WFI president is arrested within a week. Furthermore, BKU leader Rakesh Tikait is also set to participate in the protest on Sunday.
Phogat, Punia call for peaceful protest
With the hopes of gaining more momentum in their demands, ace wrestler Vinesh Phogat, however, urged the supporters to be peaceful on Sunday so that bad elements don't hijack the protest. On the other hand, Olympic medalist Bajrang Punia has also appealed to the people of the country to observe a candlelight march to showcase solidarity with the protesting wrestlers on Sunday evening.
How Delhi Police plans to maintain peace and order
According to Hindustan Times, the Delhi Police will make further deployments, and areas near Jantar Mantar will also be barricaded. However, police officials also suggested there were no specific security plans for the candlelight march. But they said tractors and slow-moving vehicles trying to enter from the Delhi borders wouldn't be permitted, and necessary precautions would be taken to maintain order and peace.
Allow police to complete probe: Anurag Thakur
Meanwhile, on Friday, BJP leader and Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said that the Delhi Police was conducting an unbiased investigation into the sexual harassment allegations against the WFI president. "A demand was there to form a committee and it was constituted, FIR has been registered by Delhi police and Supreme Court also gave its verdict," ANI quoted Thakur as saying.
Details on wrestlers' protest at Jantar Mantar
Wrestlers resumed their protest at Jantar Mantar last month, demanding action against Singh. After initially launching a protest in January, they soon called it off after the Centre assured them the issue would be probed, and a Wrestling Oversight Committee (WOC) was formed. However, the wrestlers resumed their agitation since the committee's findings were not made public, and no action against Singh was taken.
