A forceful conclusion loomed over the wrestlers' protest at Jantar Mantar on Sunday after Delhi police action where they detained prominent athletes Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia for breaching the security cordon.
The wrestlers had attempted to march towards the new Parliament building for a planned women's 'Mahapanchayat', which resulted in their arrest for violating law and order.
Following the wrestlers' detainment and their subsequent transportation to different locations in buses, the police officers wasted no time in clearing the protest site. They began dismantling the cots, mattresses, coolers, fans, tarpaulin ceiling, and other belongings of the wrestlers that had occupied the area.
While an official statement regarding the wrestlers' return to the protest site is yet to be released, indications suggest that the police will not permit their reentry. Prior warnings had been issued to the wrestlers, advising against approaching Parliament, but they disregarded the cautionary measures, leading to the ensuing scuffle.
The champion wrestlers resumed their protest against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, on April 23. Their demand for Singh's arrest, in light of alleged sexual harassment incidents involving several women grapplers, including a minor, served as the motivation behind their ongoing agitation.
But chaotic scenes unfolded at Jantar Mantar as wrestlers and police officers engaged in pushing and shoving when Vinesh Phogat, accompanied by her cousin sister Sangeeta Phogat and Sakshi, attempted to breach the barricades. Vinesh displayed unwavering resistance during her detention, while Sangeeta clung to her cousin, lying on the road, in a dramatic struggle that unfolded for a few intense minutes.
Eventually, police officials intervened, forcefully lifting and dragging the wrestlers, along with their supporters, into the waiting buses.