Rahul Gandhi, a prominent member of the Congress party, denounced the “shameful” treatment of protesting women wrestlers in Delhi on Thursday and charged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with crimes against the nation’s girls. Additionally, he called the BJP’s “Beti Bachao” campaign slogan hypocritical.
Gandhi said in a video he shared on Twitter that the wrestlers had been beaten up by the police, “Such behaviour with the athletes of the country is disgraceful. “Beti Bachao” is nothing but hypocrisy. In actuality, the BJP has never held back from torturing the nation’s daughters.
The wrestlers got into a fight with the police on Wednesday night after congregating at Jantar Mantar in Delhi to voice their opposition to BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh and Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The wrestlers claim that the police officers assaulted them, causing a few protestors to have head injuries.
The wrestlers have accused Singh of sexual harassment and have called for his dismissal from the position of WFI head. Singh, though, has refuted the charges and refused to resign.
A number of political heavyweights have expressed concern over the incident and have criticised the police for what they are said to have done to the demonstrators. Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, has urged that the incident be investigated and that those accountable be brought to justice.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken notice of the situation and has asked the Delhi Police for a thorough report.
The incident brings attention to the persistent problem of sexual harassment and violence against women in India and the requirement for more stringent legal safeguards. The government’s dedication to its “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” (Save the daughter, educate the daughter) campaign, which seeks to advance the welfare and empowerment of females in the nation, is also called into doubt.
The incident has once again highlighted the critical need for action to address the problem of sexual harassment and violence against women in the nation as well as the need for a safer environment for women, particularly in public spaces.