Amid the ongoing wrestlers’ protest at Jantar Mantar, farmers associated with the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) broke police barricades and joined the protest in the national capital on Monday. Country’s ace grapplers, including Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik, have been demanding action against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over sexual harassment allegations.
The protest entered its 16th day on Monday.
Delhi Police said that the group of farmers was escorted to Jantar Mantar and they were “in a hurry” to reach the protest site, during which they climbed the entry barricades which fell down and were removed by the farmers.
Police said that the entry is being regulated to ensure safety.
On Sunday, farmers’ groups trying to enter Delhi to join the protest were stopped by the Delhi Police at the Tikri border. Representatives of nearly 16 farmers’ unions under the umbrella body of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) were present at Jantar Mantar on Sunday. Several trade union bodies, the All India Democratic Women’s Association, the National Federation of Indian Women and the Delhi Transport Corporation Workers’ Union have also expressed their support for the wrestlers demands.
The SKM, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) and other khaps have issued an ultimatum to the BJP-led central government to arrest the WFI chief by May 21, else they would sit on an indefinite protest at Jantar Mantar and across the city, reported The Indian Express.
Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait said, “This is very serious, there should be no politics over it.”
He added, “The farmers’ union and khap panchayat leaders will meet again on May 21 to decide what should be done next. Till then, a khap will come to Jantar Mantar every day to extend support to our daughters. If anything happens to our daughters, then the entire nation will gather here to support them.”
After the late-night ruckus at the Jantar Mantar protest site on Wednesday, which injured at least two wrestlers and five police personnel, police have heightened security in the area and at the Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders of Delhi.
Several leaders from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress, who had come to support the wrestlers were forcibly removed and detained by police.