New Delhi - During the latest protest in India against the alleged sexual abuse of female athletes, two Olympic wrestlers, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, were detained by the police. They were part of a group attempting to march towards Delhi's new parliament on Sunday when they were stopped by hundreds of police officers assigned to secure the building's inauguration.
Videos showed protesters scaling barricades and being forcefully removed by the authorities. Among the detained wrestlers were Vinesh Phogat, a two-time World Championship medallist, and her sister Sangeeta. Expressing their dissatisfaction, Sakshi Malik stated to reporters, "This is wrong. We were walking quietly, they dragged us forcefully and detained us, and they're not even telling us where we will be taken."
Vinesh Phogat added, "Our people are not being allowed to march." He mentioned that the protesters had respectfully requested permission to proceed and promised to do so peacefully. However, the police claimed that the protesters had disregarded their instructions and detained those who attempted to breach the barricades. Dependra Pathak, Delhi's Special Commissioner of Police, stated, "They broke the law. Regarding further action, we would ascertain what rules have been violated and then take action by following due legal process."
The police also cleared the protest site, removing tents and other belongings belonging to the demonstrators who had been occupying the area for weeks. Several opposition politicians criticized the police's handling of the march. West Bengal's Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, from the All India Trinamool Congress party, tweeted, "Strongly condemn the way Delhi Police manhandled Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, and other wrestlers. It's shameful our champions are treated in this manner." Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, from the Aam Aadmi Party, described the police's behavior as "very wrong and condemnable."
Sakshi Malik, the first Indian woman to win an Olympic wrestling medal in 2016, later tweeted that once she and her fellow protesters were released, they would resume their "satyagraha," a form of non-violent resistance.
The demonstrators are accusing wrestling officials, including the head of the governing body Brij Bhushan Singh, of sexually harassing women in the sport. Singh denies the allegations. The protests initially began in January but were called off later that month after Singh was stripped of his administrative powers by the sports ministry, and the government pledged to investigate the complaints.
An investigative committee was established by the Indian Olympic Association to look into the allegations against Singh. The committee's report was submitted several weeks ago, but its findings have not yet been disclosed.
On the same day as the wrestling protest, Delhi police were on high alert as a group of farmers attempted to enter the city in support of the wrestlers. This followed a previous incident earlier in the month when dozens of farmers broke through police barricades in Delhi to join another protest.