New Delhi: Delhi University's North Campus on Wednesday saw action by Delhi Police that left several students injured and many were detained.
Expressing solidarity with the protesting wrestlers, various student groups had staged an agitation in front of Delhi University’s Arts Faculty demanding Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief's immediate arrest over sexual harassment allegations.
The left students groups of AISA, SFI, AIDSO were protesting in support of women wrestlers who have alleged that Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh sexually harassed them.
The women wrestlers have been protesting at Jantar Mantar since April 24.
According to SFI Delhi's statement, "Before the students could even gather at Arts Faculty, before they could even start sloganeering - the police came with heavy deployment and started to brutally detain students."
The statement further says, "Police were even trying to take off her (a student protestor) salwar - threatening that if she doesn't go inside the bus then they will take it off.”
Watch the video series of protesting students here
SFI President, Aishe Ghosh said, "It is appalling the state of women in this current regime where even when women come on the streets to register cases of sexual harassments when the institutions fail them, they are met with more harassments by the police. This happened before when the women of IPCW protested as well. Where will women go to register dissent? Will they have to always remain quiet?"
AIDSO has also condemned the police brutality in a statement that further claims that several leadership members of the organisation were detained.
AISA also released a statement that reads, “Delhi police rather than standing in support of our athletes, detained the protesting students”.
The country’s top wrestlers have been staging a sit-in since April 23 over allegations of sexual harassment against Singh, who is also a BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh.
They are demanding criminal action against Singh for alleged sexual harassment and intimidation of seven women wrestlers, one of whom is a minor.
An internal complaints committee must be constituted immediately to ensure that women wrestlers do not face sexual harassment in the future, the protesting students demanded.
The students protestors alleged that they were manhandled and forcibly detained by the Delhi Police.
“Why are we being dragged and detained? There is absolutely no law and order left in this country. A man who harassed women wrestlers is being protected, while those raising their voice against such people are being detained. Why hasn’t Brij Bhushan Singh been arrested yet,” a protester asked while being whisked away by police personnel.
Another protesting student said, “Is this democracy? We are being detained for extending support to wrestlers. He (Singh) has been allowed to retain his post. Also, it was only after the Supreme Court’s direction that two FIRs were registered by the police against the BJP MP. However, the accused has not been arrested so far.”
Olympics bronze medallist Sakshi Malik, who is among the wrestlers spearheading the protest at Jantar Mantar here, extended support to the students.
“The girl students of Delhi University took out a march in support of the agitating women wrestlers. The one who harassed women wrestlers is roaming free but instead of catching him, the police are catching those people who are coming out in support of the women wrestlers. Agitating women wrestlers condemn this,” Malik said in a tweet.
Bajrang Punia, Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist, also condemned the alleged police action against the students.
“The girl students of Delhi University who took out a march in support of the agitating women wrestlers have been taken into custody by the police. Instead of catching the harasser, the police are catching those people who are coming in support of the women wrestlers. It’s so embarrassing..,” he tweeted in Hindi.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Sagar Singh Kalsi said the students did not take permission from the police for the protest.
“Around 1 pm, some 35 protesters from AISA, SFI, KYS and Bhagat Singh Chatra Ekta Manch gathered outside the Arts Faculty and started shouting slogans. They were asked to disperse from there and maintain peace and tranquillity in the area,” he said.
“When they did not leave, they were peacefully removed from there… Around 30 of them have been detained. No permission was sought or any intimation tendered for the protest,” the DCP added.
Taking to Twitter, the Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) claimed that during police detention, a woman activist’s thigh bone was injured.
“A woman activist’s thigh bone has been injured after brutal police detention and she has been admitted in Hindu Rao Hospital for treatment. The brutal police repression of peaceful protests has become a norm in the University of Delhi,” the student outfit said.
(With PTI inputs)
