"There will be 'Satyagraha' of women wrestlers...": Indian wrestler Sangeeta Phogat

May 28, 2023

New Delhi [India], May 28 : Sangeeta Phogat, a rising Indian wrestler and Bajrag Punia's wife, on Sunday, said that the wrestlers will continue their protest once the ace wrestlers would release from police custody adding that "there will be Satyagraha of women wrestlers."
The protesting wrestlers who were trying to march towards the new Parliament from their site of protest at Jantar Mantar were stopped and detained by the security personnel in Delhi on Sunday.
Taking to Twitter, Sangeeta said that their movement is not over yet and added


"Our movement is not over. Released from police custody, we will start our Satyagraha back at Jantar Mantar. Now there will be Satyagraha of women wrestlers, not dictatorship in this country," Sangeeta Phogat tweeted.
The wrestlers are trying to march towards the new Parliament as they want to hold a women's Maha Panchayat in front of the new Parliament. Following the detention of the wrestlers, Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat said that we are not allowed to enter and our people are being detained whereas Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is sitting in the parliament.
The ongoing wrestler protest in the national capital has taken a new toll as star grappler Bajrang Punia said the Mahila Mahapanchayat will definitely take place in front of the new Parliament building which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday. Security personnel stopped and detained protesting wrestlers as they try to march towards the new Parliament from their site of protest at Jantar Mantar.
Several ace grapplers including Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik have been protesting at the Jantar Mantar accusing the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment and demanding his arrest. Wrestlers were trying to march towards the new Parliament as they want to hold a women's Maha Panchayat in front of the new Parliament."
Democracy is being killed in the country, no one is getting the justice they deserve", Bajrang Punia told reporters ahead of the protesting wrestlers' march towards the new Parliament building. Punia said, "Many people are very cooperative with us but there are a few police officials who are misbehaving with us, they are not allowing our family members to go inside."
The wrestlers had announced that they planned to hold a women's Maha Panchayat in front of the new Parliament as part of their protest against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan who has been accused of sexually harassing women wrestlers. Seven women wrestlers have filed a police complaint against him.
"We are not being allowed to enter and our people are being detained. He (Brij Bhushan) is sitting in parliament and we are being sent to jail," said Vinesh Phogat said this morning. She also took to Twitter to post about the "murder of democracy."
"On one hand the Prime Minister has inaugurated the new building of democracy. On the other hand the arrests of our people are on, " Phogat tweeted.