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Indian men's senior team skipper Sunil Chhetri condemned the detention of protesting wrestlers, including Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, and Bajrang Punia, by the Delhi Police on Sunday, May 28, saying "this isn’t the way to treat anyone".
The 38-year-old talismanic forward wrote on Twitter:
"Why does it have to come down to our wrestlers being dragged around without any consideration? This isn’t the way to treat anyone. I really hope this whole situation is assessed the way it should be."
While the new parliament building was being inaugurated by the Prime Minister on Sunday, the wrestlers had organized a "Mahila Samman Mahapanchayat" at the same time outside the parliament complex.
Olympic medalists Malik and Bajrang Punia, and World Championship medalist Vinesh Phogat were those who were first detained and later had FIRs filed against them for violation of law and order by the Delhi Police.
Visuals emerging from the national capital showed that a scuffle broke out when the police forcefully tried to clear out the protest site.
Footages showed the police officials dragging and lifting the wrestlers and their supporters into buses.
According to an ESPN report, Special Commissioner of Police (law and order) Dependra Pathak alleged that the protesters ignored repeated requests and warnings and "wrestled" with police personnel who tried to stop them.
Why have the Indian wrestlers been protesting?
The top Indian grapplers, including the likes of Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, and Bajrang Punia have been protesting since April 23 at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi. They have been demanding the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for allegedly "sexually harassing" seven women wrestlers, including a minor.
After a Supreme Court hearing, the Delhi Police filed two FIRs against Singh. While the first FIR related to allegations by the minor wrestler and has been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the second one is pertaining to the "outraging of modesty".
However, so far, the WFI head has rejected the allegations against him.
