WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh stated he’s ready for investigation but received’t resign from his submit | file photograph
| Photo Credit: PTI
Facing allegations of sexual harassment by seven girls wrestlers, WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Saturday stated he’s ready for “any kind of investigation” but won’t resign from his submit as it might imply he has accepted the costs towards him.
“I am completely innocent and have full faith in Supreme Court and Delhi Police. I am ready to face any kind of investigation,” Mr. Singh informed reporters at his residence in Bishnoharpur, about 40 ok.m. from Gonda metropolis. “Resigning as president of Wrestling Federation of India is not a big deal for me, but I will not resign as a criminal.”
Taking a powerful exception to Congress chief Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s assembly with the wrestlers on Saturday morning, Mr. Singh stated, “Today it has been seen who is behind this controversy. I have been saying from the beginning that an industrialist and the Congress have a hand in this. They are upset with me.” He, nevertheless, didn’t elaborate.
Priyanka Gandhi visited the wrestlers at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi and expressed solidarity with them, accusing the federal government of “protecting” the WFI chief.
Also learn: Wrestlers vs WFI sexual harassment row | From Jantar Mantar to the Supreme Court, the story up to nowÂ
Several wrestlers have resumed their agitation and sat on a dharna since April 23, demanding that an FIR be filed towards the “Gonda strongman”. They additionally demand that Singh be faraway from from all posts he holds. The Congress has stated that he needs to be arrested instantly.
On Friday evening, Delhi Police registered two FIRs towards Singh. While the primary FIR pertained to allegations of a minor wrestler and was registered beneath the POCSO Act, the second was associated to outraging modesty.
“I’m not a criminal. Resigning means I have accepted their allegations,” Mr. Singh, the BJP MP from Kaiserganj in Uttar Pradesh, stated. He claimed all of the calls for of ladies wrestlers have been accepted.
“An FIR has been lodged against me, yet they are sitting on dharna. Why?” he requested.
Mr. Singh, a sixth-term lawmaker, stated his tenure because the WFI chief is full and he’ll routinely resign with the election of the brand new president. He is just enjoying the position of a “caretaker” until the election.
Mr. Singh has accomplished 12 years as WFI chief and is ineligible to contest for one other time period.
He requested why are the wrestlers nonetheless sitting on dharna now when an FIR has been registered towards him. “Why are they constantly speaking against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Sports Ministry?”
Mr. Singh stated the continued dharna by the wrestlers shouldn’t be a protest of sportspersons but a protest of the “conspirators”. “They did not wait for the investigation report to be made public and went to the Supreme Court and there raised a new allegation. They are saying that the sport has to be saved but they are not saving the game (by doing this). They have caused a huge loss in the last four months,” he stated.
He additionally requested if he had been sexually abusing gamers for 12 years, why they by no means took a grievance to the police station, federation or the federal government until date. “They went straight to Jantar Mantar,” he stated.
Mr. Singh stated he has submitted an audio clip to the probe committee, wherein a person is heard talking about arranging a lady to implicate him.
Stressing that he absolutely respects the choice of the Supreme Court and the federal government, Mr. Singh alleged the protestors are arising with new calls for on a regular basis.
“First they demanded an FIR and now that the FIR has been lodged, they are demanding to put me in jail. I am a member of Lok Sabha. It has not been by the grace of Vinesh Phogat (one of the wrestlers protesting at Jantar Mantar) but the people of my area have made me an MP,” Singh stated.
Claiming that all the Haryana and UP “akhadas” are with him, the MP stated it is just “one family’s akhada” which is towards him.
“I have full faith in the law of the land. I will definitely be proved innocent. It has been troubling me for a long time. I and my family are being abused. Our supporters are also being targeted but my supporters and family have full faith that I am innocent. Soon, the country will also come to know about it,” he added.
