Light Candles At Homes: Wrestlers’ Appeal To Public; Elaborate Traffic Arrangements In Place

Wrestlers protesting in Delhi against instances of alleged sexual assault by national federation president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh have called for a candlelight march this evening from Jantar Mantar in the national capital to India Gate.

Earlier, on May 19, the wrestlers had initiated their protest by embarking on a march from Jantar Mantar to the revered Bangla Sahib Gurudwara in the city. Now, they have amplified their efforts by orchestrating this candlelight march, aiming to draw attention to the pressing issue and garner support from both the public and authorities.

Bajrang Punia, a distinguished Olympic medalist, took to social media urging sympathetic members of the public to show support by participating in the march. Recognizing that physical presence may not be possible for everyone, Punia encouraged supporters to light candles in their homes at 5 pm and share videos on social media platforms as a way of extending their solidarity.

"Those who cannot physically participate must light candles in their homes at 5 pm and share videos on social media to extend their support," he tweeted.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police has made elaborate arrangements from Jantar Mantar to India Gate in view of a candlelight march to be held on Tuesday evening by the wrestlers protesting against the wrestling federation chief to mark the completion of a month of their fight for justice.

The police has neither officially given nor denied permission to the protesters to hold the candlelight march at Jantar Mantar. A senior police officer said around 500 protesters are expected to join the march.

The police has arranged vehicles for the protesters to be taken to India Gate. ''The protesting wrestlers are planning to hold the march around 5 pm at India Gate. According to the wrestlers, around 500 protesters are expected to join the march. We have arranged vehicles for them. They can also go in their own vehicles, but the police will escort them to the destination and bring them back to Jantar Mantar,'' a senior officer said. ''We will do our best to ensure that the event goes off peacefully,'' he added.

The police said the candlelight march at India Gate could also lead to traffic congestion and the traffic personnel deployed there have been asked to ensure that no inconvenience is caused to commuters. ''We will deploy our traffic staff at India Gate. We already have our staff deployed there since the area often witnesses traffic congestion, especially in the evening. We might suggest diversions at one or two points to ensure a smooth flow of traffic,'' a senior traffic police official said.

Taking to Twitter, the Delhi Traffic Police urged commuters to avoid Mansingh Road and the C-Hexagon and plan their travel for ISBTs, railway stations and the airport accordingly. ''A candle march from R/A Jaswant Singh Road to Kartavyapath Crossing on Mansingh Road will be held today at 1600 hrs onwards. Commuters are advised to avoid Mansingh Road and C-Hexagon and plan their travel for ISBT/Rly. Stations/Airports with sufficient time at hand,'' it said.

Several wrestlers have been staging a dharna at Jantar Mantar since April 23, demanding the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has been accused by six female wrestlers, including a minor, of sexual harassment.

The Delhi Police filed two FIRs against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP last month on the basis of the complaints from the wrestlers.