Several top Indian wrestlers, including Olympic medallists Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, have been charged with rioting and disorder by police in New Delhi after their arrests during a march to the new parliament building following its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The wrestlers and their supporters were arrested on Sunday after scuffles broke out in front of parliament as they intensified their protests demanding the arrest of their federation chief over sexual harassment allegations.

Police released some of the protesters late on Sunday but filed first information reports (FIR), or formal complaints, against others under multiple articles of the Indian Penal Code, ranging from rioting to “causing an obstruction in the duty of a public servant with the use of assault and criminal force”.

The wrestlers have been protesting in the capital for more than a month over the lack of action against Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, a member of parliament belonging to Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

The protesting athletes have demanded his “immediate arrest” and sought the intervention of the Supreme Court, which directed the police to register a case against the 66-year-old. The MP has been accused of harassing several female athletes while leading the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). He has denied all the allegations.

Malik, who has been at the forefront of the protests, questioned the police’s swift action to detain those who were protesting “peacefully”.

“It took seven days for the Delhi Police to register an FIR against sexual harasser Brij Bhushan, and it didn’t even take seven hours to register an FIR against us for peacefully protesting,” she tweeted. “Is this country under dictatorship? The whole world is watching how the government is treating its players.”

Speaking during their rally, Punia said, “This is a fight for the respect of our daughters and sisters.”

“We are asking for justice,” he said.

On Monday, Punia responded to a former Indian Police Service officer’s tweet calling for the protesters to be shot.

“An IPS officer is talking about shooting us,” he tweeted. “Brother, we are standing in front of you, tell us where to come to get shot… I swear that I will not show my back, I will take your bullet in my chest.”

The use of police force and criminal charges against the protesting athletes has drawn condemnation from India’s Olympic gold medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who said, “There has to be a better way to deal with this.” Chopra won the gold in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.