Brij Bhushan caught 'making advances' toward woman wrestler: Police chargesheet
The Delhi Police chargesheet against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) outgoing chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has "technical evidence" showing him "making advances" toward one of the women wrestlers, according to The Indian Express. The information reportedly stems from the police investigation into sexual harassment complaints filed by six women wrestlers. The evidence includes two photographs, Singh's phone location, and another set of pictures.
Why does this story matter?
The wrestlers had filed separate complaints against Singh on April 21. The Delhi Police filed the chargesheet in June after months of protest. The central government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), drew flak for the investigation's delay and its handling of the protest. Notably, Singh is a BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh's Kaiserganj, and the party has been accused of protecting him.
Photos show Brij Bhushan 'making advances,' call records match testimony
The chargesheet claimed Singh could be seen making advances toward the complainant in two of the four photographs provided by WFI officials, TIE reported. "Based on WFI-provided photographs of wrestling events, along with Call Detail Records of witnesses, the chargesheet concluded that Singh was present at the locations of alleged abuse mentioned in the complaint filed by five of the six victims," it said.
No visitors' register, CCTV at Singh's office, home
Moreover, the report added that Singh's phone location and another set of pictures confirm his presence at an event where an alleged incident of sexual harassment took place. Surprisingly, there was neither a visitors' register nor any CCTV at Singh's office at Ashoka Road in Delhi, his home, or the scene of at least two incidents of sexual harassment, the Delhi Police's chargesheet showed.
Delhi Police seeks court's intervention to summon Singh, witnesses
Based on the witness accounts and evidence, the Delhi Police invoked Section 506 (criminal intimidation), Section 354 (outraging modesty of a woman), Section 354 A (sexual harassment), and Section 354 D (stalking) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the chargesheet. The police also flagged Singh's "repeated and continuing" harassment of a women wrestler, urging the court to summon Singh and the witnesses.
Chargesheet includes collaborative accounts of witnesses
According to reports, the police have also added almost 108 witness accounts from coaches, referees, other officials, and family members of the wrestlers. The accounts were presented to corroborate the version of the complainants and make a watertight case against Singh. Notably, the Delhi Police's Special Investigation Team visited Rohtak, Sonipat, Lucknow, Patiala, Kurukshetra, Hissar, Bhiwani, Chandigarh, and Bellary in Karnataka.
