Serious allegations of sexual harassment have been made in the First Information Reports filed against Wrestling Federation of India president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The charges, according to a report by Zed News, included touching female athletes indecently under the pretence of checking their breath and intimidating them into providing sexual favours in exchange for the federation paying for their medical care. The FIRs also accuse Brij Bhushan of stalking a youngster and groping female wrestlers, stroking their legs with his own, and brushing his hands across their breasts. The FIRs were filed at Delhi's Connaught Place police station last month and include accusations based on the complaints of seven female wrestlers.
The wrestlers have been calling for Brij Bhushan to be detained and removed. Singh has been accused of sexual harassment by the wrestlers in the most outrageous and improper ways.
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, on the other side, has refuted all accusations and demanded evidence. Singh denied all of the accusations and stated that, if true, he would hang himself. I'm willing to take whatever punishment, he added, adding, "If you (the wrestlers) have any evidence, present it to the Court."
In the FIRs, one of the wrestlers claimed that they used to go in groups to avoid encountering the accused by himself. Vinod Tomar, Secretary of the wrestling association, was allegedly accused by one of the complainants of forcing himself on her inside his Delhi office.
Following the wrestlers' appeal to the Supreme Court on April 29, the Delhi Police filed FIRs in the case. The FIRs were filed in accordance with IPC Sections 354 (attack or use of criminal force against a woman with the intent to violate her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking), and 34 (common intention), as well as Section 10 of the POCSO Act. One to seven years in prison are possible under the IPC Sections.
Top grapplers Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia have been demonstrating against WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for several months. Anurag Thakur, the Union Minister for Sports, has meantime advised wrestlers to hold off until the probe is finished and to have faith in the Delhi Police and the Supreme Court of India. The Union Minister added that wrestlers shouldn't do anything to hurt the sport or its participants while the probe is ongoing.
Delhi Police's big statement regarding the investigation against Brij Bhushan Singh
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