New Delhi, May 28 (IANS): In view of the Sarv Khap mahapanchayat call to hold a women panchayat outside the newly constructed Parliament building in Delhi on Sunday, the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveils it, Delhi Police detained several khap and farmers leaders from Delhi's borders.
Surendra Solanki, the president of Palam Khap was detained by police and taken to Vasant Vihar police station.
"Several Khap leaders have also been detained by police from borders and taken to various police stations," Solanki told IANS.
Rakesh Tikait, the farmers' leader said that a substantial number of farmers hailing from Uttar Pradesh will assemble at Delhi's Ghazipur border on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. to express solidarity with the wrestlers who are currently engaged in protests.
Last week on Sunday, the mahapanchayat held in support of protesting wrestlers, which lasted over five hours at Haryana's Meham town, claimed that women from across the nation would be participating in the Delhi panchayat.
According to police, there is heavy deployment of police personnel in the vicinity of the Parliament building and no protester will be allowed to move towards the new building as permission has not been granted to hold the mahapanchayat.
Additionally, police pickets have been installed in central Delhi to ensure a strong presence and maintain law and order throughout the programme.
"Stringent security measures have been put in place to safeguard the event," a senior police official said, adding that police teams are continuously monitoring the Parliament building and nearby areas through CCTV cameras.
Thousands of police personnel have been deployed in the bordering areas, including Tikri, Ghazipur, Singhu and Badarpur borders and police are conducting thorough vehicle inspections for those entering from the borders.
The police have also made a formal request to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) seeking permission to establish a temporary jail at the MC Primary Girls School located at Kanjhawala Chowk, Old Bawana. This request has been made in case the need arises to ensure adequate law and order arrangements are in place.
Since April 23, prominent Indian wrestlers such as Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, and Vinesh Phogat, who have achieved Olympic and World Championships recognition, have been staging a protest at Jantar Mantar against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Farmers and Khaps have also extended their support to the wrestlers.
Last month, Delhi Police registered two separate FIRs against the WFI chief, based on sexual harassment allegations. The first FIR pertains to the accusations made by a minor and has been filed under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, along with relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code concerning the act of outraging modesty.
The second FIR focuses on comprehensive investigations into the complaints made by adult complainants and involves relevant sections of the IPC related to outraging of modesty.