Farmers breaks police barricades to join protesting wrestlers

Farmers from the Bharatiya Kisan Union arrived in Jantar Mantar on Monday, where protesting wrestlers against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh since April 23.

The BKU members were seen smashing down barricades and attempting to approach the protest site in footage posted by news agency ANI.

“A group of farmers was led to Jantar Mantar.” They were in haste to get to the dharna site, so some climbed the access barricades, which fell and were dismantled by them. “The police team kept the back barricades aside to facilitate their entry,” said DCP New Delhi Pranav Tayal.

“The protestors have arrived at the dharna site, and the meeting is proceeding peacefully,” a senior police official said.

This comes just a day after BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) activists, including women, staged a demonstration at the Tikri border after being barred from entering the national capital by police. They had, however, broken through the barricades and invaded the capital.

On Sunday, the Delhi Police deployed around 2,000 officers to join the farmers in their march to Jantar Mantar to join the protesting wrestlers. 

According to the Delhi Police, people can only enter the city in vehicles and buses, not tractor-trolleys.

Wrestlers like Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia have been demonstrating outside the Jantar Mantar, seeking the arrest and dismissal of WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has been accused of sexual harassment by female grapplers.

The wrestlers set a May 21 deadline for the Centre to meet their requests. Wrestlers Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat said they were ready for a long haul during a briefing of about 2,000 supporters from khaps, farmer, and women organisations.

In another development, under-fire WFI chairman Singh has encouraged farmer leaders not to make the ‘mistake’ of not waiting for the probe’s outcome, despite the Samyukta Kisan Morcha’s support for the wrestlers’ protest against him.

The BJP MP from Kaiserganj stated once more that he was innocent and targeted because he had improved the wrestling selection procedure.

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