Wrestlers’ protest: Security tightened at Delhi borders ahead of demonstrations called by Samyukt Kisan Morcha

Security personnel are maintaining strict vigil at the border points and extra pickets have been put up to prevent any untoward incident, Delhi Police officials said

June 01, 2023 12:32 pm | Updated 02:25 pm IST - NEW DELHI

Security personnel deployed near the India Gate as the entry was closed for  public in the wake of possible protest by wrestlers in New Delhi, on May 31, 2023.

Security personnel deployed near the India Gate as the entry was closed for public in the wake of possible protest by wrestlers in New Delhi, on May 31, 2023. | Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy

Security was tightened at Delhi's border points on June 1 in view of a call for nationwide demonstrations given by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) in support of wrestlers protesting against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

Security personnel are maintaining strict vigil at the border points and extra pickets have been put up to prevent any untoward incident, Delhi Police officials said.

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"Security has been tightened, extra police personnel have been deployed and we have also set up extra pickets at Delhi's borders. We want to ensure that law and order is maintained and no untoward incident takes place. This has been done as a precautionary measure," a senior police officer said.

Vehicles entering Delhi from neighbouring states are being checked at the borders, he said.

The SKM, an umbrella body of farmers' unions, had on May 30 called for nationwide protests on June 1 in support of wrestlers who have been demanding the arrest of Singh for allegedly sexually harassing female grapplers, including a minor.

In a statement, the SKM had said its call for demonstrations was aimed at securing the democratic right to protest by the Indian wrestlers and all other sections of society, and to demand the arrest of Singh, who is also a BJP MP.

It said it would coordinate with platforms of trade unions, women, youth, students and all other sections, including intellectuals, to stage demonstrations.

The wrestlers, who had been protesting at Jantar Mantar since April 23 seeking the arrest of Singh, were removed from the site by the Delhi Police on Sunday after they tried to march to the new Parliament building that was inaugurated the same day.

They were detained and later let off.

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