Chargesheet filed against Brij Bhushan, Delhi police seek cancellation of POCSO case
The Delhi Police on Thursday (June 15) submitted a chargesheet spanning 1,000 pages against BJP MP and Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in connection with the sexual harassment allegations made against him by female wrestlers.
Alongside this, a cancellation report of 500 pages was also filed by the police concerning the case brought by a minor against Singh. In their report, the police have recommended the cancellation of the sexual harassment case, stating that no corroborative evidence has been uncovered during the investigation.
The chargesheet lists various offenses, including assault or criminal force against a woman with the intention to outrage her modesty, sexual harassment, and stalking.
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“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 statements given by the complainant, namely the father of the victim, and the victim herself,” Delhi Police said in a statement.
Referring to the FIR filed by the seven women wrestlers, the statement said, “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 is scheduled for July 4.
On April 21, a police complaint was lodged against Singh by seven female wrestlers, one of whom was purportedly a minor. The complaint levelled accusations of sexual harassment and other forms of misconduct against him. Subsequently, the wrestlers staged a protest in the national capital.
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Last week, Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur held a meeting with Olympic medal-winning wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik. During the meeting, he assured them that the chargesheet related to the case would be filed by June 15. Following this assurance, the wrestlers decided to suspend their protest.
The Delhi Police have reached out to wrestling federations in five countries seeking information regarding alleged instances of sexual harassment involving Singh. The investigation team is specifically requesting photographs, videos, and CCTV footage from tournaments as well as the accommodations where the wrestlers stayed during their matches.
In the ongoing investigation into the allegations, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has already interrogated over 180 individuals and filed two First Information Reports (FIRs) against Singh.
On Friday, as part of their inquiry into the sexual harassment accusations, the Delhi Police brought a female wrestler to Singh’s office. The wrestler was accompanied by a team of female police officers. Notably, Singh’s official residence houses the office of WFI.
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The woman wrestler arrived at the WFI office at 1:30 pm, accompanied by the team of female police officers. They spent approximately 30 minutes at the office, during which time the wrestler was asked to reenact the alleged harassment incident and recall the locations where she felt harassed.
Amidst the ongoing protests, the wrestlers have urged the WFI to establish an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) led by a woman, a proposal which has received approval from Thakur. The government has also decided to bar Singh and his associates from participating in the upcoming wrestling body elections.
The WFI elections are scheduled to take place on July 6.
