Vinesh Phogat: Protesting India wrestlers say police assaulted them
- Published
Wrestlers have been protesting for weeks, demanding the arrest of their federation chief
India's top wrestlers have alleged that they were abused and assaulted by the police in Delhi where they have been protesting since 23 April.
Police say an altercation took place at the site but deny beating up anyone.
The wrestlers are demanding the arrest of their federation chief Brij Bhushan Singh, alleging he sexually abused athletes. He denies the allegation.
India's top court is due to hear their plea seeking action against him on Thursday.
On Wednesday night, wrestlers told the media they were assaulted by the police while trying to bring beds to the protest site.
"The area is filled with water [due to rains] and there was no place to sleep, so we thought of bringing the cots," wrestler Vinesh Phogat said, external in a late-night press conference.
Ms Phogat alleged that a drunk policeman assaulted her brother and another shoved her. She also said women police officers were not at the scene.
Wrestler Geeta Phogat said in a tweet that her brother Dushyant was hit on the head and another athlete was injured.
A video by the Press Trust of India news agency showed, external Rio Olympics bronze medallist Sakshi Malik in tears as Vinesh Phogat consoled her during the chaos.
"The way they have made us suffer, I would not want any athlete to win a medal for the country," Ms Phogat told the media later.
Olympics champion Bajrang Punia has appealed people to join their protest to protect "the dignity of our daughters".
Police deny any official was drunk on site. "There were a few men who tried bringing cots to the protest site," a senior police official told the Indian Express, external. "When policemen asked them about it, they got aggressive and the protesters joined them."
Somnath Bharti, a legislator of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which governs Delhi, said he was detained by the Delhi police for demanding foldable cots for the wrestlers.
Protests by the wrestlers first began in January. Vinesh Phogat, a two-time World Championship medallist, alleged that at least 10 women wrestlers had told her they had been sexually exploited by Mr Singh, chief of the Wrestling Federation Of India (WFI).
Mr Singh is an influential lawmaker and politician from the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
He and the WFI have denied the allegations.
The wrestlers called off their protests after the federal government assured them of action and asked Mr Singh to step aside for a few weeks. The Indian Olympic Association also set up a committee to investigate the allegations against Mr Singh.
But the wrestlers resumed their protests on 23 April, saying they wouldn't budge until Mr Singh was arrested.
The sports ministry has admitted to structural lapses in the WFI, saying it had no Internal Complaints Committee - as mandated by law - to deal with allegations of sexual harassment within the organisation.
It said that there was a "need for more transparency" and "effective communication" between the WFI and sportspersons.
On 28 April, the Delhi Police filed two complaints against Mr Singh - one of them under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act based on a minor's complaint.
But he is yet to be questioned or arrested.
BBC News India is now on YouTube. Click here, external to subscribe and watch our documentaries, explainers and features.
Read more India stories from the BBC: