Wrestlers denied entry in IPL match, says Bajrang Punia; Delhi Police refutes claim

Several protesting wrestlers were seen standing outside the Arun Jaitely stadium in the national capital on Saturday.

They addressed a joint press conference, wherein Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Bajrang Punia claimed that the Delhi Police denied them entry to the IPL match held there.

Bajrang Punia said the wrestlers had bought tickets for the Delhi Capitals vs Chennai Super Kings (CSK) match. Despite doing so, they were not allowed to enter the stadium, he said. “We had tickets and we were going to watch the match, but police stopped us. We want to know why,” he said.

Punia was joined by other wrestlers, including Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat. They have been protesting against Wrestlers Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Singh, alleging sexual harassment.

Reacting to the claims made by the wrestlers, the Delhi Police called them “misleading” and said no one with a ticket was denied entry to the stadium.

“No valid ticket or pass holders were stopped. Everyone was given entry through their assigned gates,” an official said.

According to police, 10 to 12 wrestlers and others had come to the stadium to watch the match, whereas only five of them had tickets. “Those without tickets or passes were not allowed to enter,” a senior police official said.

Notably, wrestlers also warned that a “big decision”, which might “not be in the interest of the country”, could be taken on Sunday (May 21), a PTI report said. Security has been beefed up at Jantar Mantar and on Delhi’s borders ahead of a farmers’ meeting in support of the protesting wrestlers.