The Delhi Police has filed a chargesheet against outgoing Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Singh for allegedly sexually harassing women wrestlers. The chargesheet was filed on Thursday, June 15, 2023, at the Tilak Marg police station in Delhi.
The chargesheet was filed under sections 354A (sexual harassment), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The allegations against Brij Bhushan Saran Singh were first made by a group of women wrestlers in April 2023. The women alleged that Singh had been harassing them for months and that he had even tried to force himself on one of them.
Singh denied the allegations and said that he was being targeted by a group of wrestlers who were unhappy with his leadership.
The Delhi Police had registered a case against Brij Bhushan on April 26, 2023, and had launched an investigation. The police had also questioned Singh and other WFI officials in connection with the case.
The chargesheet filed by the Delhi Police has named Singh as the main accused and has also named two other WFI officials as accused. The police have also named the women wrestlers who have made the allegations against Singh as witnesses in the case.
The case is now being investigated by the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch. The Crime Branch is likely to file a supplementary chargesheet in the case after it has completed its investigation.
The allegations against Singh have sparked a major controversy in the wrestling world. The WFI has suspended Singh and has also set up an inquiry committee to look into the allegations.
The allegations have also raised questions about the safety of women athletes in India. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has said that it will take “stern action” against anyone found guilty of sexual harassment.
No sufficient evidence under POCSO
The Delhi Police, in its chargesheet, has mentioned that it could not find any corroborative evidence against Brij Bhushan under the POCSO Act. It said that due to a lack of evidence, it appeals to the court to drop charges against Brij Bhushan under the POCSO Act.
