New Delhi: A Delhi court, on March 3, will record the statement of one of the female wrestlers who have accused former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment.
The matter, which was scheduled to be taken up on Saturday, was adjourned because Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Vaibhav Chaurasiya was on leave.
The court had, in May last year, framed the charges of sexual harassment and using force to outrage women’s modesty against Singh in the criminal case filed against him by the female wrestlers.
Singh pleaded not guilty in the case and claimed trial.
The court has also framed the charge of criminal intimidation against Singh, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, in the case.
It has also framed the charge of criminal intimidation against co-accused and former WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar in the case.
What makes Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh invincible in BJP
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s strong links with the saints and his role in the Ayodhya temple movement make him stronger than many other MPs in the BJP.
The dozens of educational institutions he owns in eastern Uttar Pradesh, add to his vote bank and have created a climate that works in favour of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh — the six-term MP, who has weathered the storm over allegations of sexual harassment from wrestlers and emerged victorious.
Singh, as the WFI President, faced wrestlers’ protest on the issue and the Delhi Police had filed two cases against him after the Supreme Court ordered them to do so.
One of the FIRs was over a complaint of sexual harassment by a minor, filed under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which gives no scope for bail.
Yet the Delhi police made no efforts to arrest Singh, who insists that he will face an inquiry but will not resign ‘as a criminal’ and he stuck to his words.
The BJP that claims to be firm on discipline, has turned a proverbial Nelson’s eye to Singh’s behaviour.
By ensuring the victory of his aide Sanjay Singh as WFI President, Singh has proved to his detractors that he will continue to wield power in the federation through the new President.
Much before he took over as President of the WFI in 2011, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was known for his arm-twisting tactics.
A key player in the Ayodhya movement, he was known as a one-man army for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh at that time — the party then had minimal presence on the political centre-stage in the state.
Singh’s clout has only grown after the turn of the century and so has his money power.
His brazenness is evident from the fact that during the 2022 Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh admitted in an interview to a TV channel that he had committed one murder — something that even the most dreaded criminal does not admit on camera.
In the interview, Brij Bhushan said he shot the man who had killed Ravindra.
“I pushed the man who shot Ravindra Singh and shot him dead,” he added.
Earlier, in 2009, Brij Bhushan had briefly parted ways with the BJP and joined the Samajwadi Party but he returned home to the BJP before Modi’s victory in 2014.
As Brij Bhushan’s stature grew within the BJP, his ‘business’ also flourished.
He owns around 50 schools and colleges and has interests in mining, besides dabbling in liquor contracts, coal business and real estate.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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