Bajrang Punia Slams Delhi Police: Says Quick Action Against Wrestlers, Delayed Response for Brij Bhushan

Olympic wrestler Bajrang Punia on Sunday slammed Delhi Police after it registered an FIR against the protesting wrestlers, following their bid to march towards the new Parliament building for the planned women’s ‘Mahapanchayat.’

Overall 700 people were detained across Delhi, including 109 at Jantar Mantar.

An FIR was registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the wrestlers – Sakshi, Punia, and Vinesh – who had organised the protest in connection with Sunday’s incident.

However, all women wrestlers and protesters who were detained on Sunday were later released.

Read More: All Detained Women Wrestlers Released, FIR Registered Against Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia

Referring to MP Brij Bhushan Singh, Bajrang Punia told media persons that it is unfortunate that a person accused of sexual harassment attended the inauguration of the new Parliament building.

“It took Delhi Police only a few hours to register an FIR against us but it took them 7 days to register an FIR against Brij Bhushan Singh,” he told ANI.

When asked if the wrestlers would continue to protest at Jantar Mantar, Punia replied,  “Going back home is not an option, I will meet the rest of the wrestlers and we will decide what needs to be done next.”

On Sunday, opposition leaders and sportspersons strongly criticised the alleged manhandling of protesting wrestlers by the Delhi Police at Jantar Mantar.

Read More: ‘Grossly Wrong’: Opposition Slams Delhi Police for ‘Shamefully Manhandling’ Protesting Wrestlers

The incident occurred when wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and several others were detained following a scuffle that erupted between the protesters and the Delhi Police after they breached the security cordon in an attempted to march towards the new Parliament building.

Tensions escalated at Jantar Mantar as some of the wrestlers attempted to breach the barricades, leading to a chaotic scene with shoving and pushing between the protesters and the police.

Following the incident, the wrestlers were swiftly pushed into buses and transported to an undisclosed location.

In the aftermath, the police took action to clear the protest site, removing items such as cots, mattresses, cooler fans, the tarpaulin ceiling, and other belongings belonging to the wrestlers.

(With inputs from PTI and IANS)