The Delhi Police today said outgoing Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh will face sexual harassment and stalking charges after filing a chargesheet against him.
Brij Bhushan, who is also a BJP MP, will face charges like "outraging the modesty of a woman", which is non-bailable, besides sex harassment and stalking, both bailable offences. The case will be heard next by the court on July 4.
According to media reports, the police also submitted a report recommending the cancellation of the POCSO case against the BJP MP, after the wrestler who had claimed she was a minor when the assault allegedly had amended the age-related information in her complaint and her father told reporters that he deliberately filed a false police complaint.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) questioned more than 180 people and filed two FIRs against Singh.
“In the FIR registered by the wrestlers, after completion of investigation, we are filing a chargesheet for the offences under sections 354, 354A , 354D IPC against accused Brijbhushan Sharan Singh,” Delhi Police spokesperson Suman Nalwa said.
In the POCSO case against Singh, the Delhi Police said: “After completion of investigation, we have submitted a police report under section 173 Cr PC requesting for a cancellation of the case based upon statements of the complainant i.e., the father of the victim and the victim herself.”
On April 21, seven female wrestlers, one of whom was allegedly a minor, filed a police complaint against Singh, accusing him of sexual harassment and other forms of misconduct. The complaint was followed by a protest by the wrestlers in the national capital.
Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur had, in a meeting with Olympic medal-winning wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik last week, assured them that the charge sheet in the case would be filed by June 15. Following this assurance, the wrestlers paused their protest.
The protesting wrestlers have urged the WFI to form an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) headed by a woman, a proposal approved by Thakur. The government has also agreed not to allow Singh and his associates to contest the upcoming wrestling body elections.
The Wrestling Federation of India elections will be held on July 6 for the post of president, senior vice-president, four vice-presidents, secretary-general, treasurer, two joint secretaries, and five executive members.