Shillong, May 4: A late night scuffle between Delhi police and protesting wrestlers on Wednesday triggered Vinesh Phogat saying that she will return all her medals. The athletes who were protesting said that police assaulted and mistreated them.
In an attempt to breach the barricades, a group of protestors led by AAP leader Somnath Bharti brought foldable mattresses to the demonstration, according to Delhi Police.
“All medals received from the government and those obtained at the international level will be returned. Will we put up with the humiliation to what extent? In a late-night media interview on Wednesday, Phogat claimed that a Delhi Police manhandled them. “We are being humiliated, dragged to the ground,” she said.
Following allegations of sexual assault against the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), Brij Bhushan Singh, a protest has been held in the nation’s capital.
Somnath Bharti, a Malviya Nagar Aam Aadmi Party MLA, was taken into custody while protesting. According to Delhi Police, Bharti allegedly entered the area with folding beds without authorization. However, wrestler Geeta Phogat claims that her sibling was hurt during the altercation with the police.
In an official statement, the police said, “On intervention, the supporters became aggressive in trying to get the beds out of the truck. Subsequently, a minor altercation took place in which Somnath Bharti along with two others was detained”.