On 8th June 2023, the father of the minor wrestler who levelled allegations of sexual harassment against Wrestling Federation of India’s chief BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh said that he filed a false complaint against the WFI president. He reiterated his statement dated June 5 that he gave before the magistrate in New Delhi.
According to reports, the father of the minor wrestler girl said that though Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh did not sexually harass the girl, he was partial against his daughter. He explained that the accusations of sexual harassment against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh were made due to intense anger, as his daughter had lost in the final of last year’s trials for the Asian Championship. However, the father of the young wrestler girl clarified that they had not retracted the previous complaint but had provided additional statements.
The girl’s father said, “The entire staff on match duty was from Delhi and the opponent girl also hailed from Delhi, which is illegal… I have changed my statement. Some allegations were true and some were false. Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh had not sexually harassed my daughter but his approach was biased against her… I had received threatening calls but I will not reveal their names. I had sold my house to bear the expenses of my daughter. Without anyone’s influence, I had re-recorded my statement.”
He further said, “We have no grudge against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. We had recorded fresh statements on June 5 and we changed a few of our earlier statements. I am a father of a girl, and I don’t want to get involved in this fight. I had not withdrawn the complaint but recorded fresh statements. In anger, we had levelled some false allegations, and my daughter had faced some issues but all those mentioned in the FIR were not true.”
The father expressed that their entire family is experiencing depression, and his primary objective is to help his daughter become a champion. Additionally, he mentioned that he and his daughter were recently away from New Delhi, visiting a religious site. Previously, the girl’s uncle had asserted that she is not underage. Subsequently, the Delhi Police initiated a second FIR based on a complaint lodged by the girl’s father.
On May 10, the girl recorded her statement before a magistrate in New Delhi, as per Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc), accusing Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The girl’s father claimed that the President of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) forcibly pulled her towards him and subjected her to sexual harassment, resulting in her severe distress and subsequent health issues.
According to the filed complaint, the girl’s father alleged that Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh pressed her shoulder and deliberately slid his hand beneath it. Allegedly, the WFI chief made inappropriate remarks, stating, “If you support me, I will support you. Stay in touch with me.”
Notably, the protesting wrestlers decided to temporarily suspend their agitation until June 15. This decision was made after receiving assurance from the government that a chargesheet would be filed against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh before that date and that elections for the federation would be held by the end of the month.
Union sports minister Anurag Thakur held a meeting with Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik to address the issue of the ongoing protests. This meeting took place three days after Union home minister Amit Shah met with the wrestlers and discussed their demands. The protesting wrestlers have been demanding the arrest of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, whom they have accused of sexually exploiting female wrestlers, including minors.