Hours after the Delhi Police registered two First Information Reports (FIR) against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Friday, Olympic medalist Bajran Punia took to Instagram alleging that electricity was cut off at the wrestlers’ protest site.
Accusing the Delhi Police of suspending food and water supply at Jantar Mantar, where India’s top wrestlers have been protesting the sexual harassment allegations levelled against Singh, he added that barricades have also been put up. Wrestlers were also asked to end their agitation minutes after the registration of FIRs, he told his followers in an Instagram live session.
Alleging that the ACP said they won’t allow food and water in no matter what, Punia told mediapersons that the cops are putting them under pressure after the Supreme Court notice to Delhi Police.
“Police said that if you want to protest, sleep on the road. What kind of pressure has come on them today, there was no such problem before, this has happened only because of the pressure of the Supreme Court,” he said.
The Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist also called out the police for ‘beating up’ people who were assigned to deliver supplies at the protest site. “Until justice is served, we will protest no matter how much the police administration tortures us,” he asserted.
In a statement to news agency ANI, wrestler Satyawart Kadian, husband of Olympian Sakshi Malik, questioned the police’s delay in filing the FIR. He demanded that women wrestlers’ future should be protected and the sport be kept apart from politics.
“It is good that FIR has been registered. What will we get from the FIR? Will FIR get us justice? Delhi Police should have lodged an FIR on the very first day. Our on-paper fight has just started. Let’s see what our legal team & coaches have to say. We are demanding that wrestling must be separated from politics & future of our women wrestlers should be secured,” he told ANI.
Meanwhile, Delhi Commission for Women panel chief Swati Maliwal reacted to the allegations of police snapping power and ration supply at Jantar Mantar. She wrote, “Do not file FIR for the first 6 days, after that stop the electricity, food and water of the agitators. Perhaps even the most oppressor king would not have done this to his opponent, yet this is a democracy, yet this is the Olympic Champion.”
After the lodging of the two FIRs at the Connaught Place station six days after wrestlers took to the streets again, they called it the ‘first victory in quest for justice.’
Earlier Punia, Vinesh Phogat, and Malik had announced in a press conference that protests will continue until Singh, who has been accused of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation by seven women wrestlers, is put behind bars.
source: hindustantimes
