Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has strongly criticized the police detention of wrestlers protesting at Jantar Mantar, denouncing it as "grossly wrong." The incident occurred when Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia, who were participating in a women's 'Mahapanchayat' near the new Parliament building, were detained by the Delhi Police after breaching the security cordon. A video shared by Sakshi Malik on Twitter showed the wrestlers being forcefully dragged by the police, leading to Kejriwal's condemnation of their treatment.
Jantar Mantar witnessed scenes of chaos as Vinesh Phogat and her cousin Sangeeta Phogat attempted to breach the barricades, resulting in a clash with the police who tried to contain the situation. Following the altercation, the wrestlers were forcibly taken away in buses to an undisclosed location, while the police began clearing the protest site, removing belongings such as cots, mattresses, cooler fans, and the tarpaulin ceiling.
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The wrestlers, including Olympic medalists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, along with Asian Games gold medalist Vinesh Phogat, have been demanding the arrest of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the outgoing President of the Wrestling Federation of India, accusing him of sexual harassment against several female grapplers. The Delhi Police has filed two First Information Reports (FIRs) against Singh, one of which pertains to allegations made by a minor wrestler and has been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The second FIR is related to the alleged outraging of modesty of adult women wrestlers.
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has refuted the allegations and offered to undergo narco analysis and polygraph tests, proposing that the protesting wrestlers also undergo the same tests. The protest and the subsequent police action have ignited a debate on the treatment of athletes and the handling of sexual harassment cases in sports organizations.
