Protesting wrestlers detained by Delhi Police to stop from marching towards new Parliament building

The Delhi Police detained the protesting wrestlers, including 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games bronze medalist Bajrang Punia and two-time Olympian and world championship medalist Vinesh Phogat. They were sitting on a dharna at Jantar Mantar planning to hold a silent march towards the new Parliament building on Sunday (May 28).

The wrestlers took to social media platforms to air their grievances. Since morning the wrestlers were adamant to hold Mahila Mahapanchayat near the new Parliament building.

Since the protesting wrestlers had announced they plan to hold Mahila Mahapanchayat a day before, the Delhi Police cordoned off a large area of the new Parliament building to check people from gathering.

Delhi Police had even put barricades in major areas of Delhi bordering Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to check vehicles. On Saturday, the wrestlers alleged that the government was pressurizing them to compromise, but they refused.

It has been over a month since the top wrestlers have been protesting at Jantar Mantar against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. They have accused Singh of alleged sexual harassment of female wrestlers attending the national coaching camp at the Sports Authority of India complex in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

Singh has completed his three tenures as president of WFI and is not eligible to hold the office of the federation as per the 2011 National Sports Code.

The WFI has been suspended by the sports ministry and an ad-hoc panel, whose chairman is Bhupinder Singh Bajwa is overseeing day to day functioning of the organization.

Earlier this month the ad-hoc panel conducted national selection trials in U23 and U17 age groups to select the national team for upcoming international competitions. The selection trials were conducted at Patiala (Punjab) and Sonepat (Haryana).