Wrestlers’ protest: Kapil Sibal raises question of 'pliant investigation'
Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Sunday (April 30) said the wrestlers staging a protest in Delhi, demanding the arrest of WFI chief Brij Bhusan Sharan Singh over sexual harassment charges, are facing the predicament of a defiant accused and “no arrests”, and wondered whether there is a “pliant investigation” into the matter.
Sibal, a senior advocate, who is representing the wrestlers in the Supreme Court also lashed out at the prime minister’s office for being silent on the issue.
Also read: WFI chief compares wrestlers protest with Shaheen Bagh stir, refuses to quit
“Protesting Wrestlers Predicament: A minor, 6 others traumatised, a defiant accused, a silent PMO, no arrests. A pliant investigation?” he tweeted.
The Delhi Police filed two FIRs against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Singh on Friday on allegations of sexual harassment levelled against the BJP MP by seven women wrestlers.
The FIRs were filed hours after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Delhi Police, told an apex court bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha that a case will be registered on Friday.
While the first FIR relates to the allegations of a minor wrestler and was registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the second was related to outraging the modesty of women.
Also read: Wrestlers allege ‘torture’, say no food, water at protest site; Kejriwal extends support
Many decorated wrestlers including Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat, have been protesting at Jantar Mantar, demanding that the government make public the findings of an oversight panel that investigated the sexual harassment charges against Singh.
The wrestlers have asserted that they will not leave the protest site until Singh is arrested. They resumed their sit-in last Sunday and demanded that the findings of the panel that probed the allegations be made public.
Also read: Priyanka Gandhi meets protesting wrestlers at Jantar Mantar
The protest by the athletes has been supported by several political parties including the Congress and acclaimed sportspersons like Neeraj Chopra and Abhinav Bindra.
(With inputs from agencies)
