The Delhi Police on Sunday removed tents and other installations set up by the protesting wrestlers at Jantar Mantar as they were detained for allegedly breaching the security cordon and not following the directions issued by the law enforcement agency. The wrestlers were trying to move towards the new Parliament building for a planned women’s ‘Mahapanchayat’.
Later in the evening, the Delhi Police booked the organisers of the wrestlers’ protest at Jantar Mantar and their supporters on charges of rioting and obstructing public servants in discharge of duty. The police said 700 people were detained across Delhi, including 109 protesters at Jantar Mantar. According to a senior police officer, the FIR has been registered under Sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (assault or use of criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Sections 352 (assault or criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation), 147 (rioting) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the IPC have also been invoked.
Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia were among those detained. Women detainees were released later in the evening. Earlier in the day, Jantar Mantar turned into a scene of chaos when Vinesh Phogat and her cousin Sangeeta Phogat tried to breach the barricades and as police tried to contain the breach with a lot of shoving and pushing. Protesting wrestlers jumped over the police barricading at Jantar Mantar.
Videos showed a scuffle breaking out between protesters and police personnel even as the former tried to resist. In one of the videos, a few female police officers can be seen forcefully dragging a woman away from the protest site. Vinesh provided a strong resistance against her detention and Sangeeta clung on to her cousin sister while lying on the road as the struggle continued for a few dramatic minutes.
The police officials dragged and lifted them into buses along with several other wresters and their supporters. The wrestlers were pushed into buses and taken to different unknown locations. The police claimed the wrestlers broke and crossed the barricades, misbehaved and pushed the police personnel including the women constables. “They broke the barricades and didn’t follow the directions given by the police. They broke the law, hence they were detained. We will take legal action after inquiry in due course of time,” said Dependra Pathak, Special CP (Law & Order).
“We need to assess the entire situation. As you have seen the barricades have been broken and they moved ahead despite request and warning. So that is why we have removed them from here. “The bottom line is, peace and tranquility will be maintained. We will ensure professional steps to see to it that nothing goes wrong,” he added.
It seems the police will not allow the wrestlers back to the protest site though no official statement has been made in this regard. The police had warned the wrestlers not to move towards Parliament but they went ahead, leading to the scuffle. Immediately after the wrestlers were taken to different unknown locations, the police officers began clearing the protest site by removing the cots, mattresses, coolers, fans and the tarpaulin ceiling along with other belongings of the wrestlers. Taking to Twitter, Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik vowed to continue their protest at Jantar Mantar. “Our movement is not over. After being released from police custody, we will start our satyagraha at Jantar Mantar. In this country, there will be no dictatorship but there will be satyagraha held by women wrestlers,” she tweeted in Hindi.
Scores of farmers led by BKU leader Rakesh Tikait held a sit-in at the Ghazipur border which was closed as they tried to enter the national capital to take part in a protest called by agitating wrestlers. The protesters later dispersed. “All farmers who had gathered at the Ghazipur border have left for their homes. The Ghazipur border is now open for vehicular traffic,” a senior police officer said in the evening.
In Haryana, several farmer leaders were detained as they proceeded towards Delhi with a large number of supporters for the “Mahila Maha Panchayat” called in support of the wrestlers protesting at Jantar Mantar, farmers’ outfit BKU (Charuni) claimed. Police stopped hundreds of farmers at the Haryana-Punjab border near Ambala city in the morning.
