In a significant revelation about the allegations against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a newspaper has accessed the details of the 1,000-page chargesheet filed by the Delhi Police, holding Singh accountable on grounds of sexual harassment, molestation and stalking. The Indian Express reported that the chargesheet based on the “investigation so far”, dated June 13, finds the outgoing WFI president “liable to be prosecuted and punished for offences” of sexual harassment, molestation and stalking based on the complaints of six grapplers.
This comes after months of protest by India’s top wrestlers led by world championship winners Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, among others.
The Delhi Police has requested the court to summon Singh and the witnesses. Notably, Singh as well as the former WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar, who was also accused of sexual harassment, have already been issued summons to appear before the Rouse Avenue Court on July 18.
What Are The Charges Against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh?
In two of the six cases, Singh has been booked under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (making sexually coloured remarks) and 354D (stalking) of the Indian Penal Code, while in the remaining four cases are under Sections 354 and 354A.
These offences carry a prison term of up to five years.
Additionally, a chargesheet also names Vinod Tomar under sections 506 and 109 of the IPC. These charges relate to criminal force for outraging a woman's modesty, sexual harassment, stalking, abetment of an offence, and criminal intimidation.
The Kesarganj MP, who has a strong footing among the Jat community of Uttar Pradesh, continues to deny all the allegations.
Details Of Witness Accounts
The chargesheet was filed based on the statements of at least 108 witnesses, including wrestlers, coaches and referees. It included their corroborative statements about the allegations of the six wrestlers.
The Delhi Police’s Special Investigation Team has visited Rohtak, Sonipat, Lucknow, Patiala, Kurukshetra, Hissar, Bhiwani, Chandigarh and Bellary in Karnataka for the investigation.
As per the Express report, the witnesses agreed with the allegations, most of which had one thing in common – Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh made inappropriate sexual advances. While some of the incidents allegedly happened in private, others took place in a discrete manner in public.
In one of the cases, as per reports citing the chargesheet, Singh’s harassment was “repeated and continuing”.
Singh is still not under arrest. He was last summoned by Delhi’s Rose Avenue Court on July 7. The court had then observed that there was enough evidence against the WFI chief to proceed with the case.
In this context, Outlook is looking back at the stories surrounding wrestlers’ protests that gripped the nation.
