On June 4, the minor wrestler who accused former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual assault has reportedly withdrawn her allegations. As per The Indian Express report, the minor athlete was among the seven wrestlers who levelled allegations against Singh. She had recorded two statements, one before the police and another before the magistrate under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). Unnamed sources informed The Indian Express that she has recorded a fresh statement withdrawing the allegations. Earlier, several reports noted Sakshi Malik clarified no FIR was taken back while talking to ANI.
The statement recorded under Section 164 is deemed as evidence before the court. As she has withdrawn the statement and recorded a new one, it will be up to the court if the charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act can be pursued or not. The court will decide which statement of hers will be given precedence during the trial.
Reports suggest that in the FIR registered with the Delhi police, the father of the minor said the athlete was “completely disturbed and cannot be at peace anymore …sexual harassment by the accused (Singh) continues to haunt her”. It was claimed in the complaint that Singh held her tightly while pretending to get a picture clicked. The complaint further read that Singh “squeezed her towards himself, pressed hard on her shoulder and then deliberately…brushed his hands against her breasts”.
The first statement in front of the magistrate was registered on May 10 in a case pertaining to an FIR registered against Singh under Section 10 of the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and IPC Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking) and 34 (common intention). If proven guilty, an accused faces up to seven years of jail time under Section 10 of the POCSO Act.
Wrestlers Protest
Several wrestlers led by Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat are protesting against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh alleging he sexually harassed hundreds of female wrestlers. The wrestlers’ protest first started in January 2023 but was halted after a committee was formed to investigate the matter. The protests restarted in April 2023. An FIR was registered by Delhi Police and the investigation is underway. Recently, Home Minister Amit Shah met the protesting wrestlers and asked them to let the law take its course.
The protests have turned political as Khap Panchayats, opposition leaders and farmer unions along with left-liberals have extended support to the protesters. They used the platform to target PM Modi-led BJP government at the centre.
Delhi Police questioned staff at Brij Bhushan Singh’s houses
As per Dainik Bhaskar’s report, Delhi Police teams questioned staff at Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s houses in Delhi and Gonda. The police visited his house on Monday night and questioned 15 of his staff members for around 1.5 hours at Lucknow and 12 at Gonda. As per reports, the driver, guards, gardener and servants were questioned by the police. The police has already questioned Singh two times for 5-6 hours so he was not questioned again during a visit to Lucknow and Gonda houses.
