UP Opposition slams Centre over police action on wrestlers

Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party (SP), Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee have slammed the Centre over the detention of protesting wrestlers by the Delhi Police from the Jantar Mantar dharna site.

Akhilesh Yadav, the SP chief said, "The incident makes it clear that all the BJP's slogans on women's safety and dignity were hollow and were only to grab women's votes."

SP national general secretary Shivpal Singh Yadav said, "Whatever may be the arguments, intention or conclusion; the scene is unfortunate...country's daughters with the Tricolour."

Shivpal also posted the picture of a woman wrestler and a Tricolour she held fallen on and the police dragging her.

Another SP national general secretary Swami Prasad Maurya tweeted: "No sooner the 'Sangol' sceptre was installed, the BJP is moving ahead towards monarchy. Mr Prime Minister while you were getting your coronation done, world-conquering daughters of our country were getting beaten up by the police. They are not ordinary once but they are brave daughters who have won gold, silver, bronze medals in Olympics and made the country proud world over. So please stop insulting the daughters."

RLD president Jayant Chaudhary said, "Autocracy won't be tolerated."

The UP Congress statement read, "The woman wrestler Vinesh Phogat, soon after her detention, shouted 'Congratulations for the new country'! So, dear citizens of India, how did you like the glimpse of the new country?".

The UPCC posted the video in which, Vinesh Phogat, through the window of a police bus, is shouting "Naya desh mubarak ho!"

Several wrestlers and their supporters were detained by the Delhi Police on Sunday as they tried to march towards the new Parliament building demanding the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for allegedly sexually harassing women grapplers, including a minor.

The wrestlers had called for a women 'Mahapanchayat' on Sunday for which they did not have permission. The police personnel dragged the protesters away and pushed them into buses to take them to unknown locations.