Mamata takes to streets to protest 'manhandling' of wrestlers in Delhi

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday took to the streets in Kolkata to protest against the alleged manhandling of wrestlers at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar after they tried to march towards the new Parliament building following its inauguration three days ago.

Holding a placard with the message, "We Want Justice", written on it, Banerjee participated in a rally which started at Hazra Road crossing in the southern part of the city and culminated at Rabindra Sadan, the cultural hub of the eastern metropolis. Banerjee joined the 2.8-km rally at Bhabanipur, her own constituency.

She was flanked by former women footballers Kuntala Ghosh Dastidar and Shanti Mallick, ex-soccer players Alvito D'Cunha, Rahim Nabi, and Dipendu Biswas and several other sports personalities and common people.

State minister Arup Biswas and cricketer-turned-minister Manoj Tiwary spearheaded the rally organised by the sports department to show solidarity towards the protesting wrestlers.

The wrestlers are demanding the arrest of the Wrestling Federation of India's former chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh who is accused of sexually harassing several women grapplers.

The rally was organised a day after the country's top wrestlers, including Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, along with hundreds of their supporters, reached Har ki Pauri to immerse their medals in the river Ganga but were persuaded by Khap and farmer leaders not to do so.

The wrestlers, who were protesting at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi since April 23 demanding the arrest of Singh, were removed from the site by the police on May 28 after they tried to march towards the new Parliament building.

They were detained, before being released later.