Late Wednesday night, wrestlers protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar alleged that they were mistreated by intoxicated police officers. The wrestlers allege that police officers assaulted them when they attempted to carry folding beds into the protest site.
Wrestlers have claimed that they were assaulted by police officers as they sought to carry folding beds to the protest site so that they could sleep there after it rained earlier in the day.
Here are ten facts about this major event.
- Several wrestlers were struck in the head, resulting in two injuries. One individual became incapacitated and was transported to a hospital for treatment.
- Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Somnath Bharti arrived at the protest site with collapsible beds without permission, according to the police. When the police intervened, a minor altercation ensued, and the AAP leader and two others were detained, according to the police.
- In a video that has gone viral on social media, protesters can be heard accusing police officers of assaulting intoxicated wrestlers.
- “An intoxicated police officer, Dharemendra, verbally abused Vinesh Phogat and got into a brawl with us,” said former wrestler Rajveer. Geeta Phogat, an Olympian and Commonwealth Games gold medalist, stated that her younger sibling Dushyant’s head was “cracked open.”
- The Asian and Commonwealth Games gold medalist Vinesh Phogat sobbed and stated that they were not criminals deserving of such treatment. If you want to murder us, then kill us, sobbed Ms. Phogat.
- In an interview with NDTV, Olympic bronze medalist Bajrang Punia stated, “I request that the government take back all the medals I have won.”
- As a result of the altercation, significant police presence has been deployed at the protest site, and the entire area has been barricaded to prevent media access to the protesting wrestlers.
- Congressman Deepender Singh Hooda, who arrived at the protest site late at night, alleged he was detained by the Delhi Police and transported to the Vasant Vihar police station.
- The best wrestlers in India are protesting against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president and BJP member Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over allegations of sexual harassment. The six-term representative has denied all allegations made against him.
- Today, the Supreme Court of India will hear the petition filed against Mr. Singh by the wrestlers.