Wrestlers’ Maha Panchayat: Farmers’ leaders detained; Delhi Police on alert. Top updates

Thousands of police personnel have been deployed at Delhi borders, Lutyens’ Delhi and multiple layers of barricades were put in place ahead of protesting wrestlers’ march towards the new Parliament House on Sunday.

On Saturday, protesting wrestlers said they have decided to hold a women’s Maha Panchayat in front of the new Parliament building, which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.

Following this, Delhi Police have put up barricades near ITO road, the Tikri border and the Singhu border area as Khap Panchayat leaders and farmers are also likely to join the protesting wrestlers’ march.

The agitating wrestlers, led by Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik, have demanded the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Singh who, they alleged, sexually harassed several women grapplers.

Top updates on wrestlers’ Maha Panchayat in Delhi:

1. Farmers’ groups are being stopped in Punjab’s Ambala from moving towards Delhi for the Mahila Mahapanchayat outside the new Parliament Building in New Delhi. Several farmers’ leaders, including Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Gurnam Singh Charuni, were also detained in Ambala. He was detained around 4.45am. The groups, mostly of women, had halted at Gurudwara Manji Sahib on NH-44 for an overnight stay when the place was turned into a fortress in the presence of a huge police force.

2. Police closed the entry and exit gates of the gurudwara along with large trucks parked on the roads leading to the area. BKU factions such as Charuni and Shaheed Bhagat Singh have warned the government to allow the groups to move or face protests.

3. The police said no protester will be allowed to move towards the new Parliament building as permission has not been granted to hold the mahapanchayat.

4. Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait said thousands of farmers from Uttar Pradesh will gather at Delhi’s Ghazipur border at 10.30am on Sunday and then enter the national capital to extend their support to the protesting wrestlers. Farmers will also enter Delhi from other border points.

5. Police have requested the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to grant necessary permission to create temporary jail in the MC Primary Girls School, Kanjawala Chowk, Old Bawana on Sunday, if required, so that law and order arrangement could be maintained.