Cong condemns police action against wrestlers, demands court-monitored probe

New Delhi, May 4 (IANS) A day after the Delhi Police allegedly manhandled the protesting wrestlers here, the Congress on Thursday slammed the BJP government saying it was doing injustice to the players who brought laurels to the country and demanded a court monitored probe.

"The kind of injustice meted out to the wrestlers last night, I as a player stand in solidarity with them and I hope that justice is delivered," Congress leader and star boxer Vijender Singh said addressing a press conference at the party headquarters.

"If wrestlers like Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik have to face such a situation then we can imagine what kind of situation common people have to face," he said.

"My question to the government is that on whose instructions such behaviour was resorted to with the star wrestlers. We demand justice for the wrestlers and what action has been taken for such behaviour," Singh, who contested unsuccessfully in the 2019 Lok Sabha election from south Delhi, said.

His remarks came hours after the protesting wrestlers alleged manhandling by the Delhi Police at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday night, where they have been staging a protest against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is also a BJP Lok Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh, alleging molestation and sexual harassment.

The alleged manhandling by the Delhi Police led to injuries to some wrestlers who have been sitting on protest for the last 13 days at Jantar Mantar.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Amrita Dhawan also slammed the government and said what the Delhi Police did last night has crossed all limits and the country needs to decide if it wants medal winners or those who harass the players.

"These women wrestlers have won medals and brought laurels to the country and they have been sitting on protest at Jantar Mantar for almost the last two weeks. But sadly the BJP has a record of sheltering people with criminal records and question the women who made complaints against them. These wrestlers are not ordinary complainants but are world champions who have won medals for the country. When they win medals the Prime Minister calls them for a photoshoot, And the same wrestlers were made to cry at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday night," Dhawan said.

What happened last night was shocking and one could not have imagined such an incident in the national capital, she added.

She said that even after the Police registered a case under sections of the POCSO Act it is yet to arrest Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

"Because he is a BJP MP and close to the top leadership of the party will he get impunity? This will not be tolerated by the daughters of the country," she said.

Firing salvos at the government, Dhawan said, "We want to ask what was their fault. Their beds at the protest site was wet and if someone was trying to give them cots then on that excuse misbehaving and manhandling was allowed?"

She said that the FIR was registered on the instructions of the Supreme Court. "The government must take this issue seriously and the Prime Minister must act. The time has come to decide if the country wants medal winners or rapists," she added.

Dhawan demanded that there should be a court monitored investigation because as long as he (Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh) continues to be the president of the federation, until he resigns and until he is arrested, the FIR is meaningless and the upcoming investigation will also be meaningless.

When asked about the many star players including Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra coming out in support of the protesting wrestlers while many cricketers have chosen to remain silent, Singh said, "Those who come together are fine, it would be great if we praise them. And those who are not with us, then the time of everyone will come. Today it is wrestlers, tomorrow it will be others and some time later it will happen with others. And like Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in WFI we all know who is the head of the cricketing body in India."

To another question about the wrestlers planning to return their medals, Singh said, "It is most unfortunate. If such big players, who have represented India in the Olympics, have won medals make such statements, then there is really a problem somewhere in our system."

On Wednesday night, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Hooda went to Jantar Mantar. However, he was not allowed to go to the protest site. He was later detained by the police and taken to the Vasant Kunj police station.

On Thursday afternoon Hooda and his father and former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda met the protesting wrestlers.

Earlier several Congress leaders including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the Hoodas, Mahila Congress acting president Netta D'Souza had gone to Jantar Mantar in support of the wrestlers.