“They (wrestlers) are strong boys and girls. You need someone strong to control them. Is there anyone stronger than me here?”
On May 12, the Delhi Police informed a Delhi special court, which has been dealing with the sexual harassment accusations put by women wrestlers against WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the said allegations of sexual harassment. The women protestors have also made some other serious allegations against Singh, including physical abuse, dictatorial functioning and financial irregularities in the management of WFI.
The submission was made before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Harjeet Singh Jaspal in response to the court’s earlier order directing the police to file a status report in the case.
“Considering the seriousness of the case we have formed a SIT. The SIT will be investigating the case,” public prosecutor Atul Srivastava told the court, stating that a status report has been filed in the matter, as reported by the Telegraph. Reportedly, the public prosecutor had also requested that the said report must not be shared with anyone considering the nature of the case. The report has been filed by the Delhi Police in a sealed cover. Post the submission, the court posted the matter for further hearing on May 27.
It is essential to note that the above proceeding were a result of the plea moved by the wrestlers seeking monitoring of the investigation and recording of the statement of the alleged victims before the court. The judge had then issued notice to the Delhi Police.
It is further crucial to note, that amongst the women wrestlers who have been demanding the arrest of Singh, accusing him of sexually exploiting several women grapplers, a minor is also included. Thus, two FIRs have been lodged by the Delhi Police, including one under section 10 of POCSO Act against the BJP MP, who has denied all the charges.
Reacting on the said news, journalist and author Rajdeep Sardesai had posted the following tweet: “Breaking news: wrestler case update: Delhi Police to court: Considering the seriousness of the case we have formed an SIT. The SIT will be investigating the case: Brij Bhushan Saran Singh has denied allegations against him. Questions remain: why no action yet despite POCSO charges against the MP? Clearly, the authorities seem to believe an MP who was once a TADA detenu and who self-confessed to a murder on tape more than Olympian wrestlers.”
The said tweet can be accessed here:
Breaking news: wrestler case update: Delhi Police to court: Considering the seriousness of the case we have formed an SIT. The SIT will be investigating the case: Brij Bhushan Saran Singh has denied allegations against him. Qs remains: why no action yet despite POCSO charges…
— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) May 12, 2023
As one looks at the tweet by journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, one of the many journalists and activists who have been showing their solidarity with the women wrestlers, it becomes clear that clear attempts are being made by the Delhi Police, that fall under the control of the Centre, to protect the BJP MLA from any persecution, even when the charged levelled against him are of serious nature. It is important to note that one of the Acts invoked against Singh is the prevention of Child against Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), a law which recognises sexual harassment of a child, and include serious punishments. The question that truly arises is: why are the wrestlers being compelled to approach the courts for every small step that the police are themselves supposed to take? Even for the filing of the FIR, the women wrestlers had had to approach the Supreme Court. Who is protecting Singh, and what is his background?
Get to know the accused, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh
Singh is a six-term MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda, having served five terms as a BJP member and once as an SP candidate in 2009. He previously represented Gonda and Balrampur, and now Kaiserganj. Prateek Bhushan, his son, is a two-term MLA from Gonda Sadar.
Singh was an active participant in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, or better to be referred as the Babri Masjid demolition, and was known for his staunch Hindutva ideology. According to his 2019 election affidavit, he was also named in the Babri demolition case and had criminal charges filed against him.
He joined the SP in 2009 but quickly returned to the BJP. Despite his political career, Singh was interested in the sport of wrestling. The BJP MP also liked to refer to himself as “Shaktishali” and spent much of his youth in Ayodhya’s akhadas. He has been the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) for almost a decade and vice-president of the United World Wrestling-Asia.
A confessional murderer and an accused in many criminal cases
“I have committed a murder in the past. Let people say what they want…I did commit a murder.”
The above-stated statement is not the confession of a convicted criminal, but a bold declaration made by Singh, who has never been tried for murder. Singh gave this confession in a 2022 interview with a web portal, prior to which it was not publicly known that Singh had committed a murder. Even though his affidavit for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections had mentioned four criminal cases, one under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 307 (attempt to murder) and other serious crimes, but the section for murder had been missing there too. It is important to note that despite his confession of murder, both the BJP and the opposition SP embraced him and covered up his crimes as he continued to get tickets and win election after election.
It should be pointed out here that Singh’s past is littered with criminal activities and crimes, some of which may have played a role in his selection as a BJP party member. In one of its stories, the Scroll had even quoted senior journalists from Gonda district as saying that Singh’s involvement in crime in the 1980s ranged from motorcycle/bike theft to running liquor stores. He even used to make boys search for coins at the bottom of temple ponds. He eventually became a civil contractor.
In the mid-1990s, his relationship with the underworld also came to the fore. He spent several months in Tihar Jail on charges of harbouring members of the Dawood Ibrahim gang. A case was registered against him under the Terrorist and Divisive Activities Prevention Act (TADA). He was later acquitted due to the lack of evidence.
Singh has also been the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) since 2011. For more than a decade, he has been the president of a national sports association, even after many allegation of use of muscle power in running the federation, installation of camera all around the vicinity, interfering with the diet of the wrestlers, and even taking away half of the sponsorship money the wrestler receive. It is also crucial to note here that Singh has been open and out about his behaviour, and had not even tried to hide his attitude or mince his rods. During a women’s national championship in Agra in 2021, Singh had told The Indian Express: “In March 2020, we had our national championships in Himachal Pradesh and I couldn’t go there. So, we installed cameras everywhere so I could see everything from my house in New Delhi.” His hooliganism was witnessed in 2021 during a junior level wrestling tournament in Ranchi, when he started hitting a wrestler on stage.
The video can be accessed here:
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the president of the #Wrestling Federation of India, slapped a wrestler from UP on the stage during the first round of the Under-15 National Wrestling Championship.https://t.co/N20EX0fXaX
— The Quint (@TheQuint) December 17, 2021
Singh is aware about the power he exerts, and the hold he has. “These are all strong men and women,” Singh had said in the 2021 interview, referring to the wrestlers. “To control them, you need someone stronger. Is there anyone stronger here than me?”
The BJP MP does not even fear the government, or tolerate their interference in his way of functioning with the wrestling federation. In the past, he has criticised the government for dealing directly with athletes under its flagship Target Olympic Podium Scheme and said that the federation would keep a check on private, not-for-profit organisations that support the wrestlers. Later, in December 2021, he was made a member of the government’s Mission Olympic Cell, which monitors and plans the preparations for the Olympics.
As is evident from the past of Singh, of getting away with even murder, and the influence he has on the government as well as over the wrestlers, it is no surprise that the Delhi Police is not taking any action against Singh, and the courts are being forced to get involved. It is also essential to note, that even though the sports minister Anurag Thakur on January 20 had given assurance to the protesting women wrestlers that Singh would be relieved of his duties as WFI president and an inquiry committee would be set up, he is yet to be removed from the post, and a SIT has only now been set up.
Related:
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