Wrestlers protest: Security personnel deployed in large numbers at Jantar Mantar

New Delhi: Delhi Police made heavy deployment of security personnel at Jantar Mantar on Thursday morning. Here a scuffle broke out between the protesting wrestlers and some police personnel, due to which some of the protestors suffered head injuries. Barricades have been put up around the place where the wrestlers are protesting and no one is being allowed inside. Security has been beefed up after the wrestlers called for farmers and their leaders to gather at the protest site on Thursday morning.

An official, who did not wish to be named, said that the police were checking vehicles at the city limits so that the crowd does not gather at Jantar Mantar. A scuffle reportedly broke out between the protesting wrestlers and some police personnel at Jantar Mantar, resulting in head injuries to some of the protesters. The wrestlers allege that the policemen manhandled them. According to the protesters, two wrestlers Rahul Yadav and Dushyant Phogat were injured and Phogat suffered a head injury.

Rajya Sabha member Deepender Hooda and Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chairperson Swati Maliwal, who reached the spot late on Wednesday night to support the wrestlers, were taken into custody by the police. Wrestlers have been staging a sit-in at Jantar Mantar since 23 April. She has leveled allegations of sexual harassment against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is also a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Uttar Pradesh. In some videos circulating on social media, protesting wrestlers can be heard alleging that policemen are beating two wrestlers under the influence of alcohol. In the video, the policemen can be seen sitting.