FIR Against Protesting Wrestlers After March Towards New Parliament

Delhi police have filed FIR against the group of wrestlers protesting against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. The FIR has been filed hours after a scuffle broke after the protestors - including national wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia - tried to march towards the new Parliament building inaugurated today by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The police FIR also names organisers of the march. The police have booked organisers on charges of rioting and obstructing public servants in the discharge of duty after some of them were detained while marching to the new Parliament building.

The police said 700 people were detained across Delhi, including 109 protesters at Jantar Mantar. According to a senior police officer, the FIR has been registered under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (assault or use of criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

All women protestors, including wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and Sangeeta Phogat, were released on late Sunday evening. Around 14 protestors from Najafgarh, detained from Janpath were released around 10 p.m. and 16 protestors including Surendra Solanki, the president of Palam Khap, were released from Vasant Vihar police station around 10:30 p.m. The Sarv Khap mahapanchayat and protesting wrestlers had given a call to hold a women panchayat outside the newly constructed Parliament building in Delhi on Sunday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was to unveil it.

Many opposition parties have criticised authorities for not arresting Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a BJP MP, and have expressed solidarity with the protesting wrestlers. The Delhi Police had filed two FIRs including one under POCSO Act against Singh, who has denied all the charges. Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Nationalist Congress Party MP Supriya Sule and Left leaders condemned the treatment meted out to the protesting wrestlers.