Jantar Mantar witnessed dramatic scenes this morning as a group of farmers broke through barricades to join the wrestlers' protest over sexual harassment allegations against the national wrestling federation chief.
Visuals from the spot showed farmers crossing over and removing barricades put up by the police near the wrestlers' protest site.
Delhi Police trashed reports of a face-off between the farmers and cops and said they were only facilitating the entry of farmers.
"A group of farmers were escorted to Jantar Mantar. At entry barricades they were in a hurry to reach the dharna site in which some of them climbed the barricades which fell down & were removed by them. Police team kept the barricades at the back aside to facilitate their entry," the office of Deputy Commissioner Of Police, New Delhi, tweeted.
Delhi Police's official handle retweeted the post and asked people not to believe in fake news. "The protestors at Jantar Mantar are being facilitated. Entry is being regulated through DFMD to ensure safety. Please remain peaceful and abide by the law," it said. DFMD refers to metal detectors put up at the entry to Jantar Mantar, the designated protest site in the national capital.
One of the farmers told NDTV, "We were trying to enter, police asked us to enter from one side, but there was no space. We were in large number, so the barricades overturned".
A large number of farmers were seen seated in front of the wrestlers' protest stage.
The country's top wrestlers, including Olympians Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, have been protesting at Jantar Mantar for over a fortnight, demanding the arrest of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, BJP MP and president of Wrestling Federation of India.
Mr Singh, a six-time BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh, has been accused of sexual harassment by seven wrestlers, including a minor. Delhi Police have registered two cases against him, one of them under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).
Several farmers organisations have announced support to the wrestlers in their ongoing protest. Members of farmer organisations under the umbrella body Samyukt Kisan Morcha have been reaching Delhi to join the wrestlers' protest.
Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait, the face of the 16-month agitation on Delhi's borders that forced the repeal of three farm laws, had earlier announced that they will support the wrestlers from outside.
Ms Phogat has stressed that no one has "hijacked" their protest and hinted that they may further intensify the protest if Mr Singh is not arrested by May 21.
from NDTV News- Topstories https://ift.tt/SjtZrQz
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