WFI chief Brij Bhushan to face charges of sexual harassment, stalking, say Delhi police

New Delhi: Delhi Police has filed a 1,000-page chargesheet against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the wrestling body chief and a BJP MP, over allegations of sexual harassment made by female wrestlers.

In addition, the police have submitted a 500-page cancellation report in the case filed against Singh by a minor. They have recommended the cancellation of the sexual harassment case, stating that no corroborative evidence was found during the investigation.

The chargesheet includes offences such as assault or criminal force to a woman with the intention to outrage her modesty, sexual harassment, and stalking.

Regarding the case involving a minor, the Delhi Police stated, "In the POCSO matter, after completing the investigation, we have submitted a police report under section 173 Cr PC, requesting the cancellation of the case based on the statements of the complainant, i.e., the father of the victim and the victim herself."

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The statement continued, "In the FIR registered by the wrestlers, after completing the investigation, we are filing a chargesheet for the offenses under sections 354, 354A, 354D IPC against accused Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and for offenses under sections 109/354/354A/506 IPC against accused Vinod Tomar before the concerned Hon'ble Court."

The hearing for the cancellation of the minor's case has been scheduled for July 4.

Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur met with Olympic medal-winning wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik last week, assuring them that the charge sheet in the case would be filed by June 15. Following this assurance, the wrestlers suspended their protest.

The Delhi Police have sought information from wrestling federations in five countries regarding alleged incidents of sexual harassment involving Singh. The investigation team has requested photos, videos, and CCTV footage from tournaments and the places where the wrestlers stayed during matches.

As part of the ongoing investigation, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has interrogated over 180 individuals and filed two FIRs against Singh.

On Friday, the Delhi Police accompanied a female wrestler to Singh's office to investigate the allegations of sexual harassment. The wrestler was accompanied by a team of women police officers. Singh's official residence houses the office of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).

The woman wrestler arrived at the WFI office at 1:30 pm, accompanied by a team of women police officers. During their half-hour visit, the wrestler was asked to reenact the scene of the alleged harassment and recall the places where she felt harassed.

The protesting wrestlers have urged the WFI to establish 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 WFI elections are scheduled for July 6.

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