There Was No Sexual Assault By WFI Chief: Minor Wrestler's Father Makes U-Turn

In a stunning turn of events, the father of a 17-year-old wrestler, who had accused Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the outgoing chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), of sexual harassment, made a complete U-turn on Wednesday. He said that they had initially leveled the serious charges in a state of anger after their daughter allegedly faced discrimination by the WFI.

During an exclusive interview with News18 Haryana, the wrestler's father clarified that they had modified their statement in court but had not withdrawn the case entirely.

"We made allegations of sexual assault in a state of anger due to the discrimination faced by my daughter from the WFI. Bhushan did not behave inappropriately with my daughter. We changed our statement under Section 164 before a magistrate on June 5. During that time, I was alone in this fight, with little support except from the wrestling fraternity. Since this matter was reported, my family has been living in trauma. On June 5, we clarified in the Supreme Court that there was no sexual assault by the WFI chief. However, there are allegations of discrimination against the WFI," explained the father.

He further said, "We changed our statement without any ulterior motives, pressure, or fear. It is important to note that my daughter is a minor. We have not withdrawn the case; we have simply modified our statement."

It is worth noting that a statement made under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) before a magistrate holds substantial evidentiary value in court.

The father's response came following several media reports claiming that the minor wrestler, whose statement led to the filing of a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) case against Brij Bhushan, had withdrawn her complaint.

In the midst of these developments, the protesting wrestlers agreed to temporarily suspend their agitation until June 15. They made this decision after the government assured them that a chargesheet would be filed against Brij Bhushan by that date and that elections for the sports body would be held by the end of the month.