TMC demands probe after police take woman wrestler to Singh
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) lambasted the Delhi Police for reportedly taking wrestler Sangeeta Phogat to Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's residence on Friday to recreate the sequence of events that led to the sexual harassment. Furthermore, the TMC labeled the police's move as "unfathomable and shocking." Singh is accused of sexually harassing as many as seven female grapplers.
Why does this story matter?
Star Indian wrestlers, including Sakshee Malikkh, Bajrang Punia, and Vinesh Phogat, have been protesting for more than a month, demanding the arrest of Singh. On Wednesday, Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur assured the protesting wrestlers that a chargesheet would be filed by June 15 against the WFI president. Following this, grapplers paused their protest until June 15.
TMC spokesperson urges DCW to launch probe
On the back of Friday's development, TMC Spokesperson Saket Gokhale took to Twitter and urged Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal on Saturday to immediately launch an investigation against the police officials involved. Furthermore, the TMC leader also added that the police "clearly sought to create fear and intimidate" in the complainant's mind.
This is not murder or homicide: Gokhale
"In a shocking attempt to intimidate and cause trauma to woman wrestler and sexual assault survivor Sangeeta Phogat, the Delhi Police took her to the residence of the accused BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan to 'recreate the crime scene,'" Gokhale tweeted. "This is not a murder or homicide case where the 'crime scene needs to be recreated,'" he added.
Check out TMC leader's Twitter post
Details on Delhi Police's reported visit to Singh's residence
According to reports, the police took the above-mentioned female wrestler to Singh's New Delhi residence on Friday afternoon. "At 1:30pm, women officers took Sangeeta Phogat to Brij Bhushan's official residence in Delhi. They were there for half an hour," a source told news agency PTI. "They asked her to recreate the scene and recall the places where she faced harassment," the source added.
Police didn't visit my home, claims Singh
Despite media reports that the police took Phogat to his residence to recreate the sequence of events that led to alleged sexual harassment, the president of the WFI denied the claims. "I was sleeping in my room. Nobody came to my place," Singh reportedly stated on Friday while leaving his residence in New Delhi.
