'Power, water supply cut off at protest site': Wrestlers allege pressure to end stir

Olympic medalist wrestler Bajrang Punia on Friday alleged that soon after the Delhi police registered two FIRs against BJP MP and Wrestling Federation of India President Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, power supply was cut off from the protest site and the wrestlers were told to end their protest by the police.

Talking in an instagram live soon after the confirmation of the registration of FIR, Punia claimed that the protest site had been barricaded and supply of essentials like food and water had been suspended.

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“I talked to ACP and he told me that do whatever you can, we will not let food or water come inside. They have cut the power and put up barricades. This is the behaviour of Delhi Police,” said the Tokyo olympic bronze medalist during his instagram live.

“Police said that if you want to protest, sleep on the road. What kind of pressure has come on them today, there was no such problem before, this has happened only because of the pressure of the Supreme Court,” he said.

Delhi police finally registered two FIRs against Singh on Friday after intervention from the Supreme Court. However, the wrestlers continued their protest claiming that they did not believe in Delhi police and the police might file a loose FIR. World Champion wrestler Vinesh Phogat alleged that Singh might try to influence the investigation if he is not removed from all the posts that he currently holds. She also said that the protests will continue until Singh is put behind the bars. Wrestler Satyawart Kadian, husband of Olympian Sakshi Malik, said that the on-paper fight had just begun with the registration of FIR.

Punia and Phogat, alongside some of the country’s top wrestlers, are protesting near Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over inaction against the WFI president who has been accused of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation by seven women wrestlers.