Delhi Police to withdraw FIR against protesting wrestlers: Sources

The Delhi Police will withdraw cases against the protesting wrestlers, sources told India Today on Thursday. An FIR was registered on May 28 against the organisers of the wrestlers' protest, including Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia, under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

News agency ANI reported that the Delhi Police were sending a request to the government for the withdrawal of the case registered against wrestlers. After the government's approval, the FIR against wrestlers will be withdrawn. 

The case was filed after the wrestlers, who had been sitting in protest at Jantar Mantar, tried to march towards Parliament. This happened on the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi was inaugurating the new Parliament House. The police stopped the wrestlers from marching and later registered an FIR. The wrestlers were detained for a brief period of time.

The wrestlers were charged under Section 147 (guilty of rioting), Section 149 (unlawful assembly), 186 (obstructing a public servant from discharging duty), 188 (disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) and 353 (criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the Indian Penal code. They were also facing charges under Section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

Reacting to the FIR, Vinesh Phogat said the Delhi Police took seven days to file an FIR against WFI chief Brij Bhushan for "sexual harassment" but did not take even seven hours to file an FIR against wrestlers for carrying out a peaceful protest. "Has the country slipped into a dictatorship? The entire world is watching how the government is treating its players. A new history is being written," Phogat said on Twitter.

Earlier in the day, the Delhi Police recommended dropping of POCSO charges against outgoing WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh but charged him with sexual harassment and stalking six women wrestlers. The government had assured the agitating wrestlers that the charge sheet would be filed by June 15, following which they had suspended their stir. 

They were demanding Singh's arrest on allegations of sexual harassment against seven wrestlers, including the minor. Singh has denied all the charges. The police recommended the cancellation of the complaint filed by the minor wrestler against Singh, citing "no corroborative evidence". The police submitted a report based upon the statements of the complainant, who is the father of the minor, and the girl herself, a statement issued by Delhi Police PRO Suman Nalwa said.

"The chargesheet clearly states that he is guilty but our lawyer has filed an application so that he gets his hands on the chargesheet at the earliest so that we can find out the charges. After that, we will see whether those charges are correct or not," Sakshi Malik said while speaking to ANI.