Brij Bhushan Faces Sexual Harassment Charge, No Evidence In Minor’s Case: Delhi Police

Delhi Police on Thursday filed a charge sheet against BJP MP and WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for the offences of sexual harassment and stalking, while recommending the cancellation of a complaint filed by a minor wrestler against him, citing "no corroborative evidence".

Heavy security was deployed outside the Delhi residence of Brij Bhushan ahead of the filing of the chargesheet.

In the POCSO matter, the police submitted a report requesting for cancellation of the case based upon the statements of the complainant, who is the father of the minor, and the girl herself, a statement issued by Delhi Police PRO Suman Nalwa said.

Additional Sessions Judge Rajinder Singh in Patiala House court put the cancellation report for consideration on July 4. The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) entails a minimum imprisonment of three years. However, it is subjected to the section under which the crime is falling.

In the other case filed on the complaint of women wrestlers, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Deepak Kumar at Rouse Avenue court put up the charge sheet for June 22 for consideration.

The charge sheet was filed under sections 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking) and 506 (criminal intimidation), Special Public Prosecutor Atul Srivastava said outside the court. The wrestlers, who have demanded arrest of the WFI chief, are contemplating their next move following the filing of the charge sheet, sources said.

The charge sheet has also been filed against Vinod Tomar, a suspended assistant secretary of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), for the offences under sections 109 (abetment of any offence, if the act abetted is committed in consequence, and where no express provision is made for its punishment), 354, 354A and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC. The protesting wrestlers have been demanding the arrest of Singh, who they have accused of sexually exploiting women wrestlers, including a minor.

On April 28, Delhi Police registered two FIRs against Singh at the Connaught Place Police Station.

On June 7, Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur met with Olympic medal-winning wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Sakshee Malikkh, assuring them that a chargesheet would be filed by June 15. Following this assurance, the wrestlers halted their protests.

To gather more information about the alleged sexual harassment incidents involving Mr. Singh, the Delhi Police have written to wrestling federations in five countries. Although the federations have not yet responded, the police will include their information in a supplementary chargesheet once it is received.

The investigating team has issued notices to wrestling federations in five countries, requesting photographs, videos, and CCTV footage from tournaments and the wrestlers' accommodations during matches.

On Friday, the Delhi Police took a female wrestler, accompanied by a team of women police officers, to the office of the wrestling body chief as part of their investigation into the allegations of sexual harassment. The wrestler spent around 30 minutes there, recreating the scene of the alleged harassment and identifying the locations where she felt harassed.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has already questioned over 180 individuals and filed two FIRs against Mr. Singh as part of their ongoing probe into the allegations.