Olympic wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik have been amongst those detained by police in India throughout a protest towards the alleged sexual abuse of female athletes.
Demonstrators attempted to march to Delhi’s new parliament however had been stopped by tons of of police officers on responsibility for the building’s inauguration. Footage revealed protesters climbing over barricades and being carried away by police. Vinesh Phogat, a two-time World Championship medallist, and her sister Sangeeta were additionally detained. Malik said…
“This is wrong. We had been strolling quietly, they dragged us forcefully and detained us and they’re not even telling us where we shall be taken.”
Phogat added that the protesters “requested with folded hands” that police let them go and that they’d go peacefully. The incident occurred as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was formally opening the model new parliament close by, which replaced the British-era building. Most opposition events boycotted the ceremony after criticising the federal government for not asking President Droupadi Murmu, who is head of state, to open it.
Police claimed the protesting wrestlers had not followed their directions and that that they had detained those that had tried to interrupt the barricades. Delhi’s Special Commissioner of Police, Dependra Pathak, advised native media…
“They broke the regulation. Regarding Save , we’d verify what guidelines have been violated and then take action by following the due authorized course of.”
The police’s dealing with of the march has been criticised by several opposition politicians.
“Strongly condemn the way Delhi Police manhandled Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and other wrestlers,” tweeted West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from the All India Trinamool Congress party. “It’s shameful our champions are handled on this method.”
Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is from the Aam Aadmi Party, known as the police’s behaviour “very wrong and condemnable.”
Malik, the first Indian lady to win an Olympic wrestling medal in 2016, later tweeted that after she and her fellow protesters had been released, they might begin their “satyagraha,” a type of non-violent resistance, again.
The demonstrators accuse wrestling officers of sexually abusing girls within the sport, including the head of its governing physique, Brij Bhushan Singh, who denies the claims. Their protests started in January but have been referred to as off the same month after Singh was stripped of his administrative powers by the sports ministry and the federal government promised to research their complaints. The wrestlers restarted their protests in April, calling for his arrest. Earlier this month, they claimed they were abused and assaulted by Delhi police..g