Commonwealth Gold medallist Geeta Phogat claimed that she and her husband Pawan Saroha were arrested by Delhi Police while they were on their way to Jantar Mantar to support her cousin Vinesh Phogat along with other protesting wrestlers.
However, the police confirmed later on that the couple were only taken into preventive custody and had not been arrested by them.
“Me and my husband Pawan Saroha have been arrested by the Delhi Police. Very sad,” Phogat said in a tweet.
Geeta had tweeted about the arrest just moments after she had posted a video on Twitter where she was stopped by the police from joining her fellow protestors at Jantar Mantar.
The video on her Twitter account showed her surrounded by police personnel as she was speaking to a police officer and asking him why she and her husband were arrested in the first place.
“Arbitrariness of Delhi Police. I was also stopped from visiting my siblings at Jantar Mantar. The police are saying that there are only two ways: either go home or to the police station. Highly condemnable,” she had tweeted along with the video.
There was heavy police deployment at the roads leading to the protest site, which could be in anticipation that supporters may try to reach the spot after Bajrang's call on Wednesday night to the farmers and general public to reach Jantar Mantar in support of them.
Around 11 pm on Wednesday, a scuffle broke out with Delhi police personnel when the wrestlers were trying to get extra mattresses and wooden benches to the protest site for their night stay since rain had left old mattresses wet and soggy.
The on-duty police personnel began enquiring about the sleeping materials as rules do not permit bringing in such things at the protest site.