The Delhi Police reached the residence of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda on Tuesday morning to record the statements of 12 people with regard to the allegations of sexual harassment against Singh, according to an India Today report.
As evidence, the Delhi Police recorded the names, addresses and identity cards of the people who gave their statements.
Supporters of the WFI chief were also questioned.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by senior officers from the Delhi Police, which is investigating the sexual harassment charges against Singh, has so far recorded the statements of a total of 137 people.
Two cases filed against WFI chief, one of them for harassing minor
Earlier, the Delhi Police filed two FIRs and ten complaints of molestation against the WFI chief. The complaints were registered on April 21, and the FIRs were filed on April 28 at Delhi’s Connaught Place police station.
One of the FIRs filed has allegations levelled by the father of a minor wrestler invoking the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act that entails a prison term of up to seven years on conviction, and gives no scope for bail.
According to the FIRs, Singh has been accused of demanding sexual favours, while promising to help them in their careers.
The complaints describe Singh’s attempts at inappropriate touching, putting his hand over the girls’ chests, and moving his hand from the chest to the back, among others.
Singh has denied all the charges and said he will hang himself even if a single allegation is proven against him.
Supreme Court order
The Delhi Police, which falls under the Union Home Ministry, filed the two FIRs hours after the Supreme Court ordered them to do so, amid protests at Delhi’s Janatar Mantar by wrestlers including Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat.
Despite the top court’s assurance of police action, the wrestlers said that while they respect Supreme Court’s order, “but we don’t have faith in Delhi Police”.
“This fight is not for an FIR. This fight is to punish people like him. He needs to be in jail and stripped of his portfolios,” the wrestlers added.