A farmers' 'mahapanchayat' in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district on Thursday sharply criticised the Delhi police action on India's leading female wrestlers during their protest march in the national capital a few days back and vowed to support the grapplers while demanding arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who faces allegations of ''sexual assault'' by some female wrestlers.
''We are solidly behind our daughters (female wrestlers).....they have done the country proud....we will do everything possible to ensure that they get justice,'' senior Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Mangeram Tyagi said while speaking to the meeting in which leaders of various 'khaps' (sub-castes) were present.
Tyagi also decried attempts to divide the wrestlers on the basis of caste. ''Did anyone ask about their (wrestlers) caste when they had won medals,'' the BKU leader added.
BKU leader Rakesh Tikait, who also addressed the 'mahapanchayat', said that another meeting of the 'khap' leaders would be held in Haryana on Friday in which a final decision on the wrestlers' protest would be taken.
Hundreds of BKU workers held a demonstration in Meerut town in support of the protesting wrestlers and demanded the arrest of Singh. ''The government is not ready to listen to the female wrestlers.....WFI president must be arrested forthwith,'' Meerut district BKU president Anurag Choudhary said.
Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) workers also held a demonstration in Muzaffarnagar town and burnt an effigy of Singh. According to the sources, five RLD workers were taken into custody by the police.
The 'mahapanchayat' assumes significance as many of the protesting wrestlers also hailed from the 'Jat' community, which was electorally influential in several western UP districts and could affect the outcome of polls in around two dozen Lok Sabha constituencies in the region.
A defiant WFI chief however remained unfazed by the turn of events and even mocked the protesting wrestlers' announcement that they would immerse their medals in the Ganga.
Delhi police has registered an FIR against Singh regarding alleged sexual harassment of some female wrestlers and also under the POCSO Act as one of the alleged victims was a minor.