India’s top wrestlers, including Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, have been detained while attempting to march to the new parliament building in New Delhi. They are intensifying their protest demanding the arrest of their federation chief over sexual harassment allegations.
The wrestlers have been protesting in the capital for a month over the lack of action against Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, a member of parliament belonging to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
The protesting athletes have demanded his “immediate arrest” and sought the intervention of the Supreme Court, which directed the police to register a case against the 66-year-old. The MP has been accused of harassing several female athletes while leading the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and has denied all the allegations.
During the rally, Punia said “this is a fight for the respect of our daughters and sisters.”
“We are asking for justice,” he said.
The wrestlers attempted to march to India’s new parliament building as Modi was inaugurating it, but they were stopped by hundreds of police officers. Among those detained and hauled away in buses were Olympic bronze medallists Malik and Punia.
Original from www.aljazeera.com