FIRs Against WFI Chief Reveals Allegations of Groping, Asking For Sexual Favours

BJP MP and Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has been accused by seven women wrestlers of engaging in inappropriate behavior and sexual misconduct. The allegations, documented in two First Information Reports (FIRs) filed at Delhi's Connaught Place police station last month, claim that Singh touched the athletes inappropriately under the guise of checking their breath, groped them, asked personal questions of a sexual nature, and demanded sexual favors in exchange for the federation covering their injury treatment expenses. The allegations in the FIRs also accuse WFI President of groping women wrestlers, touching their legs with his legs, brushing his hands across a minor's breast and stalking her.

The FIRs were filed on April 28, following written complaints submitted on April 21.

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has denied all accusations of sexual misconduct and released a statement on Wednesday reiterating his denial of the charges. He boldly said that if any of the allegations against him were proven, he would take his own life, challenging the wrestlers to present their evidence in court and expressing his willingness to accept any punishment.

The wrestlers, who have been demanding Singh's removal have accused him of intimidation and sexual harassment in the most inappropriate and appalling manner. Some of the complainants have also raised concerns about the video recording of their statements, claiming that the recording device was turned on and off intermittently, potentially compromising the integrity of the recorded evidence and suggesting tampering to favor the accused.

To protect themselves from further encounters with Singh, all the women athletes began traveling in groups whenever they left their rooms. One of the complainants stated that Singh would single out athletes from their groups and ask personal questions that made them uncomfortable.

One wrestler detailed an incident where Singh allegedly pulled up her T-shirt, touched her stomach, and placed his hand on her navel while claiming to check her breath. She also claimed that Singh offered her an unknown edible substance not approved by her dietician or coach, asserting that it would benefit her health and performance.

Another complainant stated that when she suffered an injury during an overseas competition, Singh allegedly suggested that the federation would cover her treatment expenses if she submitted to his sexual advances.

In another complaint, an award-winning wrestler disclosed that while she was lying on the mat, Singh approached her, lifted her T-shirt without her permission, touched her breast, and ran his hand down her stomach, all under the pretext of examining her breathing.

All the complainants described a similar pattern of inappropriate touching and molestation.

One wrestler reported an incident where Singh called her to his dinner table in the hotel restaurant. Without her consent, he placed his hand on her breast, groped her, and repeatedly slid his hand from her breast to her stomach.

A separate complaint accused Singh of attempting to bribe a wrestler by offering to buy her supplements in exchange for sexual favors. She also claimed that Singh forcefully hugged her when he made her speak to her parents on the phone.

Another wrestler accused Singh of touching her buttocks during a team photograph. When she attempted to move away, he held her shoulder forcibly.

Additionally, one wrestler accused Vinod Tomar, Secretary of the wrestling federation, of forcing himself on her inside his Delhi office.

The FIRs filed against Singh invoke several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including assault or criminal force to a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty (Section 354), sexual harassment (Section 354A), stalking (Section 354D), and common intention (Section 34), which carry a prison term of one to three years.

The FIR based on the complaint filed by the father of a minor invokes Section 10 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), which stipulates a prison term of five to seven years.

The minor's father stated that Singh forcefully pulled his daughter towards him, tightly gripping her arms and preventing her from moving. He further alleged that Singh pressed hard on her shoulder, slid his hand down her shoulder, and brushed against her breasts while making inappropriate remarks about support and physical contact.

The minor explicitly informed Singh that she was not interested in any form of physical relationship and requested that he stop stalking her, according to her complaint.