Brij Bhushan has been accused of criminal intimidation and sexual harassment by seven female wrestlers, one of whom is a juvenile.
On Friday night, two FIRs were filed in the Connaught Avenue police station against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the president of the Wrestling Federation of India, and a BJP member of parliament. The Supreme Court was hearing a plea by protested wrestlers against Singh when the police in Delhi earlier in the day told the court that it would file an FIR against Singh, the defendant in the sexual accusation claims.
The action comes just six days after top national wrestlers Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia protested by squatting at Jantar Mantar for the second time since January. The claims against Brij Bhushan, who has been in charge of the wrestling organization since 2012, were originally made by the wrestlers in January.
About the Wrestler’s Protest
Some female wrestlers claimed Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh had abused them sexually in January of this year and that they were being taken advantage of in the national wrestling camp. In addition to this, there was a discussion of inappropriate behaviour with the women’s wrestling coach.
Additionally, the wrestlers claim that the wrestling federation meddles in their private lives. In addition to this, the wrestlers made the claim that Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh lives in Lucknow, where the Indian Wrestling Federation’s camp is located. The protesting wrestlers charged him with breaking the rules and degrading them, and they made the grave accusation that he threatened to murder them if they raised their voices.
On January 18 of this year, wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia held a sit-in at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over the same claims. After meeting with the athletes, Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur established a five-person inquiry team on January 23 to look into the claims, but the protesting wrestlers are now challenging the committee as well.
Olympic gold medal winners Neeraj Chopra and Abhinav Bindra tweeted in support of these wrestlers and conveyed their sorrow over the situation, as did athletes Nikhat Zareen, Sania Mirza, Virender Sehwag, Kapil Dev, and Harbhajan Singh. Although the athletes may not have supported the wrestlers’ performance to that extent, the leaders of the opposition began to support them.
Statements on the Wrestler’s Protest
Regarding the Supreme Court’s latest decision, Brij Bhushan expressed his complete confidence in the judicial system. “I have total faith in the justice system. I am not moving quickly. I am here at my place. There must already be a case against me. I’ll assist the Delhi Police. I will abide by the Supreme Court’s ruling, regardless of what it is. Ask the athletes who are raising objections to the accusations made against me, said Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
The protest, according to the wrestlers, will last until Brij Bhushan is jailed. We don’t trust Delhi Police at all. Regarding their potential course of action, the wrestlers said, “They might file an informal FIR against Brij Bhushan.
We have already provided ample evidence, and if more is needed, we will take it to the Supreme Court rather than the Delhi police, the party argued. This is not a conflict to file a police report. Vinesh Phogat stated, “This is a battle with one person who has over 85 complaints against him.
When the leaders of the opposition appeared on the platform, the protest of the wrestlers changed to a political one. On Saturday at 4 p.m., Delhi’s chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, will pay a visit to the demonstrators. Atishi from the AAP and Saurabh Bharadwaj met on Friday.
