Ashok Gehlot Accuses Delhi Police Of 'Torturing' Wrestlers, Asks Amit Shah To Take Notice

Jaipur, May 4 (PTI): Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday condemned the scuffle between police personnel and wrestlers protesting at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, alleging the police was "torturing" them. Gehlot urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to take cognisance of the incident. "When Rahul Gandhi spoke about the harassment of women during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the Delhi Police reached (his residence) to seek information about the women. Now that the champion daughters, who made the country proud, are demanding justice for many days at Jantar Mantar after complaining about their harassment, the Delhi Police is torturing them instead of taking action on their complaint," Gehlot said in a tweet in Hindi. "The Union Home Minister should take cognisance of the incident," he added.

Olympic medallist and MLA from Sadulpur of Churu district Krishna Poonia on Thursday supported the sportspersons in their fight for justice. Poonia and the players registered their protest by marching from the main gate of the Rajasthan University to Gandhi Circle, where they held a demonstration.

"I stand with my sportsperson sisters in this fight for justice. I am in support of international wrestlers and I demand for immediate arrest of the president of Wrestling Federation of India Brij Bhushan Singh for the sexual harassment charges," Poonia told reporters. She said the BJP is "sheltering" Singh and if there would have been anyone else, he would have been put behind the bars.

Several wrestlers have been protesting at Jantar Mantar since April 23, levelling allegations of sexual harassment against WFI chief Singh, a Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Uttar Pradesh. The protesters have been demanding criminal action against Singh for alleged sexual harassment and intimidation of seven female wrestlers, one of whom is a minor.

Delhi Police filed two FIRs against the WFI president on April 28. The wrestlers, however, demand that he be arrested. On Wednesday night, a scuffle broke out between the wrestlers staging a sit-in at Jantar Mantar and some police personnel, leading to head injuries to a couple of protesters.

The wrestlers alleged they were manhandled by the police personnel, but Delhi Police denied they used force against the grapplers.