NEW DELHI: Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal on Wednesday asked the Delhi Police as to why they did not arrest Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh even when they were aware of the alleged crimes committed by him.
“If you knew Brij Bhushan had sexually harassed women wrestlers, why did you not arrest him?” she asked.Notably, the charge sheet, filed by the Delhi Police on June 15, states that Singh is “liable to be prosecuted and punished for offences” of sexual harassment, molestation and stalking. It also mentions that one of the victim wrestlers was molested six times at six different places.
Maliwal said that everyone knows that Singh is a big politician who has several criminal cases lodged against him.“India’s top wrestlers sat on the streets for a month demanding action against him. They kept screaming, yelling...demanding the Delhi Police to arrest Singh. But they did not do anything,” she added.
Maliwal also hit out at the Centre for allegedly shielding its leader. “For how long will you keep protecting your leaders? Why has no action been taken against him? Is this how our daughters will be protected?,” she said.Seven women wrestlers, including one minor, submitted a complaint of sexual harassment against the WFI chief on April 21.
The police, after the Supreme Court’s intervention, registered two FIRs on April 28. However, the father of the minor wrestler retracted his statement, and subsequently, the police submitted a cancellation of the FIR report in the court.
In Singh’s case, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Harjeet Singh Jaspal had earlier took cognisance of the offences committed under Sections 354 (outraging modesty), 354A (sexually coloured remarks) and 354D (stalking),506 (para 1) (criminal intimidation) and 109 (abetment to offense) of the IPC.