While Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh stays defiant, the wrestlers, within the police FIR, have shared their ordeal of years of sexual harassment and the way some had been handled indifferently “for not supporting him”.
The two FIRs had been filed at Connaught Place police station by the Delhi Police, after the intervention of Supreme Court on April 28.
Mr. Singh has been booked underneath IPC sections 354 (assault or prison pressure to girl with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking) and 34 (frequent intention). He has additionally been booked underneath Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Along with him, WFI secretary Vinod Tomar has additionally been named within the police FIR.
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For the minor lady, who has performed at varied championships and is at the moment 17 years outdated, her father filed the police criticism. The lady had been wrestling since 2016.
Her father stated when she gained a gold medal at a championship that occurred in India, the accused, on pretext of taking a photograph, “had forcefully pulled the girl towards him and held her so tightly that she couldn’t move or free herself from his grip”.
“Mr. Singh further deliberately slid his hand down her shoulder and brushed his hand against her breasts,” her father stated, within the FIR.
According to her father, Mr. Singh informed the sufferer to remain in contact with him. “If you support me, I will support you. Stay in touch with me,” Mr. Singh informed the sufferer, to which she responded, “Sir, I’ve come this far on my own and I’ll work hard to go ahead”.
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However, Mr. Singh then allegedly warned her that Asian Championship trials had been to happen quickly, and since she wasn’t cooperating with him, “she’ll have to bear the repercussions in the trials”.
“My daughter, a young wrestler, is at the beginning of her career. She couldn’t muster the courage to face a sexual predator like the accused and as such could not make a complaint or raise these issues with the Federation as the Federation is totally under the control of the accused and works as per his dictates,” the sufferer’s father stated within the FIR.
Another wrestler, within the FIR, stated Mr. Singh first sexually assaulted her in August final yr. “When I was training, the accused called me separately, to which I refused since the accused was also touching other girls inappropriately. However, he called me again, pulled up my t-shirt and touched my belly on the pretext of checking my breath,” the wrestler stated.
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The wrestler additional stated she had seen that none of the feminine wrestlers would ever plan on going out independently. “In fact, all female wrestlers always went out together, only to avoid meeting the accused,” she stated.
“He used to forcefully, and against the wishes of the female athletes, try to separate them from their group and then ask inappropriate personal questions which we were not comfortable answering,” she stated.
The girl within the FIR asserted, “It is necessary to stop the accused from committing more acts of sexual harassment and exploitation and I request you register a case against him and put him behind bars.”
“I informed the Prime Minister about the repeated sexual, emotional, physiological, physical trauma which was meted upon me and other female wrestlers by the accused, in conspiracy with his close aids to which, the Prime Minister reassured me that such grievances will be looked into by the Sports Ministry and I will shortly be getting a call from the Sports Ministry,” she stated.
Another wrestler, within the police FIR alleged, “During the recording of my statement, I noticed that they [Oversight Committee] kept on switching the camera on and off at repeated intervals. Also, to my surprise and utter shock, the members of the Committee were trying to justify the actions of the accused as if nothing wrong had been done. It appeared that the Committee was already sitting with a premeditated mind to favour the accused.”
“As I had serious doubts if my statement had been recorded completely or not, I requested the Committee for a copy of the video recording but the Committee denied to supply me the copy. This further strengthened my doubts regarding the Committee being partial and biased… I fear that despite the Committee having been constituted to looking into the allegations against the accused, I would not get justice as the accused is a powerful and connected person and the Committee appears to be acting as per his instruction,” she stated.
The wrestler additional stated when the protest at Jantar Mantar, Delhi, was underneath method the accused with the assistance of his goons tried to contact her via her husband and he was threatened that if she stated something towards the accused earlier than the Committee, they must face “dire consequences”.
Another wrestler within the FIR narrated the same ordeal. While getting a group {photograph} clicked, the wrestler, who was standing on the again, seen any person touching her inappropriately.
“The accused came and stood alongside me… To my shock and surprise, I suddenly felt a hand on my buttock. I immediately looked back and to my horror, it was the accused who had committed the act. I was stunned by the actions of the accused which were highly indecent and objectionable and without my consent. I immediately tried to move away from that spot in order to protect myself from further inappropriate touching by the accused. However, when I tried moving away, I was forcibly held by the accused. Somehow I managed to get free,” the girl stated.
“He also offered to buy me supplements which I may require as an athlete in exchange for sexual favours,” one other wrestler alleged.
Another wrestler, within the police FIR claimed that she was sexually harassed by the accused, when she sustained an harm throughout a championship. The wrestler was known as to the federation workplace, the place Mr. Singh had allegedly informed her that the federation will bear all bills pertaining to the therapy, “provided she gives in to his sexual advances.”
