Sengol ‘Bent’ The Very First Day: Tamil Nadu CM After Police Detains Wrestlers

New Delhi: Reacting sharply to the detention of protesting wrestlers by the Delhi Police in the national capital, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Sunday said the ‘Sengol’ installed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the new Parliament building has ‘bent’ on the very first day itself. . Police detained top wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia for violating law and order in the capital when they tried to march towards the new Parliament House for a planned women’s ‘mahapanchayat’. Stalin’s taunt at the center was targeted at propaganda around Sengol as the scepter is said to be a symbol of honest rule and upholding justice.

MK Stalin said on his official Twitter account, “It’s been months since women wrestlers filed a sexual complaint against a BJP MP. The party leadership has not yet taken any action against her. Women wrestlers continue to fight for this.” laid.” in the capital. The dragging and arrest of protestors during the inauguration ceremony of the new building of the Parliament of India is condemnable. This shows that the scepter was bent on the very first day itself.’

Wrestlers’ protest: Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal, Rahul Gandhi attack Modi government

Several other opposition leaders, including Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar, also criticized the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre. Wrestler.

Mamata Banerjee said, “It is shameful that our champion is treated like this. Democracy is rooted in tolerance, but autocratic forces thrive on intolerance and suppressing dissent. I demand that he be released immediately by the police.” Let it be done. I stand by my wrestlers.”

Strongly condemn the way Delhi Police manhandled Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and other wrestlers. It is shameful that our champions are treated like this. Democracy is rooted in tolerance but autocratic forces thrive on intolerance and suppression of dissent. I demand that they be immediately… – Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) May 28, 2023

Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi said that as soon as the ‘coronation’ is over, the ‘arrogant emperor is suppressing the voice of the public’ on the streets.

The coronation is complete – the voice of the people crushed on the voice of ‘arrogant king’! pic.twitter.com/9hbEoKZeZs— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 28, 2023

Attacking the Center, Congress’s Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also said, ‘The arrogance of the BJP government has increased so much that it is mercilessly suppressing the voices of our women sportspersons under its shoes. This is completely wrong.

Wrestlers booked after scuffle as police break up protest near new parliament building

Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, along with other protesters, were on Sunday booked for rioting and obstructing a public servant in the discharge of his duty after a scuffle with security personnel, who stopped them from marching towards the new Parliament House. Tried as it was being inaugurated. ,

“An FIR has been lodged at Parliament Street Police Station in New Delhi district against the organizers of the protest, including wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sangeeta Phogat, and others, in the scuffle that broke out at Jantar Mantar. with the police today,” said a senior police officer.

FIR under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 332 has been registered. Voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duty under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the officer said.

IPC sections 352 (assault or criminal force other than grave provocation), 147 (rioting) and 149 (unlawful assembly) and section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act (mischief causing damage to public property) have also been invoked. Called, he said.

Soon after, the Delhi Police also cleared the site of their over-a-month-long sit-in at Jantar Mantar, saying they would not be allowed to return there.

Police said 700 people were detained in the national capital and 109 protesters, including three wrestlers, were detained at Jantar Mantar. The women prisoners were released late in the evening.

Elaborate security arrangements were made after the wrestlers called a Mahila Mahapanchayat outside Parliament, for which they did not have permission.

Chaotic scenes were witnessed at the protest site at Jantar Mantar, barely three kilometers from the new Parliament building inaugurated by the prime minister, as protesters and police personnel clashed with each other when the Phogat sisters, Sakshi Malik and others tried to breach Pushed and pushed. barricades.

Soon after the wrestlers and other protesters were pushed into buses and taken to different locations, police personnel began clearing the protest site by removing cots, mattresses, coolers, fans and tarpaulin roofs, along with other belongings of the wrestlers .

Delhi Police calls wrestlers’ behavior ‘highly irresponsible’

Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Dipendra Pathak claimed that the protesters ignored repeated requests and warnings and ‘wrestled’ with police personnel who tried to stop them.

He said, “Today (Sunday) was an important day for the country as the new Parliament building was to be inaugurated and despite warnings and repeated requests to the protesters at Jantar Mantar not to move beyond the protest site, He continued to do so.” The behavior of the wrestlers was ‘highly irresponsible’.

Senior police officer told news agency PTI that they had gone out to disturb the preparations of security agencies.

“The detained protesting wrestlers will not be allowed to continue their sit-in at Jantar Mantar. The entire protest site at Jantar Mantar has been sanitised,” Pathak said.

Security was beefed up at Jantar Mantar, near the new Parliament building, as well as at Delhi’s borders with neighboring states, and several farmer groups planning to join the wrestlers’ protest were stopped from entering the national capital. Was. The Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni) claimed that several farmer leaders in Haryana were also detained for a few hours.

A group led by BKU leader Rakesh Tikait staged a sit-in at the Ghazipur border, which was closed as they tried to enter the national capital to participate in the protest called by the agitating wrestlers. Later the protesters dispersed.

‘Our movement is not over’: Wrestlers to continue protest against WFI chief

Following the scuffle, Olympic medalist Sakshi Malik resolved to continue her sit-in at Jantar Mantar.

In a tweet in Hindi, she said, “Our movement is not over… We will start our Satyagraha from Jantar Mantar. There will be no dictatorship in this country, but the Satyagraha of women wrestlers.”

Our movement is not over.

Released from police custody, we will start our Satyagraha back at Jantar Mantar

In this country, there will be satyagraha of women wrestlers, not dictatorship. — Sakshi Malik (@SakshiMalik) May 28, 2023

Never thought that one day we will fight for justice in the wrestling ring, we will come to fight even after drinking like this…. There are many daughters of the country, when you can win medals abroad, then the fight for justice in your country is also equal to victory. #WrestlerProtest pic.twitter.com/eTHzERBUwb

— Sakshi Malik (@SakshiMalik) May 28, 2023

Vinesh Phogat also said that while the Delhi Police took seven days to register an FIR against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, it did not take even seven hours to book the ‘peaceful’ protestors.

Top Indian wrestlers on April 23 resumed their agitation against Wrestling Federation of India president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, demanding his arrest for allegedly sexually assaulting several female wrestlers, including a minor .